The MMP October 2012

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MMP the

The definitive guide to music in Wales

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OCT-12

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Lostprophets

The global alternative rock legends stop by for a cuppa

Sion Russell Jones Hard-working acoustic troubadour and trailblazer

The Knox

Young scamps fly the sixties-infused flag

Soundtrack Festival November’s film and music festival discussed


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The MMP October 2012

presents/yn cyflwyno

Join us on Twitter for up to date gig annoucements @orchardent

JOHN CALE SUNDAY 7TH

OCTOBER 2012

THE COAL EXCHANGE CARDIFF BAY

THE GATE ARTS CENTRE CARDIFF


themmp.tv

034 October 2012

Greetings mortals

Publisher Aimee-Jade Hayes MMP Creative Ltd Editors Simon M. Read Live Review Editor Joe O’Connell

Writers Jennifer Allan, Tom Bevan, Rachel Boagey, Joel Dear, Dom Gilbert, Emma Gould, James Hobson, Laurie Havelock, Patrick Heery, Phil Kenny, Adele Macgregor, Kait Mordey, Joe O’Connell, Jim Swidenbank.

This year seems to have rolled by with seemingly no warning whatsoever. All of its glittering promise has largely been fulfilled leaving us with the impending bleakness of winter to look forward to. Of course, October in Wales is still a fairly jubilant place to be musically. Throughout the month, across the country we are gifted with the annual cornucopia of sounds which are the Oxjam events, featuring acts playing far and wide from Bangor to Neath. And in Cardiff we are greeted by the yearly madness of SWN Festival which brings together over 200 acts in the country’s biggest inner-city festival. You can expect the likes of The Cribs, John Grant, Charlotte Church and Django Django to be stopping by amidst a metaphorical ocean of others. Definitely something to look forward to there.

Designed by: Girl & Boy Studio girlandboystudio. co.uk

And for us, this month, we are granted access to one of Pontypridd’s biggest ever success stories - Lostprophets - who tell us all about their ascent to mammoth stardom. We also mull over the youthful swagger of The Knox and the considered songwriting talent of Sion Russell Jones.

CONTACT Demos / Releases to be sent to info@ themmp.tv* Cover Illustration: We’re No Heroes (www.werenoheroes. com)

Not bad really. Especially when you consider we are, as always, brimming full of news, reviews, opinions, listings and gig ideas. Turn the page and let the odyssey begin. Love you!

The MMP

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MUSIC NEWS News and round up of all the musical happenings in and around Cardiff EXPOSURE Meet this month’s featured artists!

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LISTINGS All the goings on from Cardiff’s music venues this month REVIEWS The month’s new albums, singles and demos.

INDUSTRY INTERVIEW Interview with music industry linchpins.

* Please note we no longer accept physical demos or CDs, only links to stream or download.

MMP EXTRA Get yourselves to themmp.tv for even more reviews, competitions and news! FREE DOWNLOADS Join our Download Society and enjoy free downloads!

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The MMP October 2012

Music News

Photo below: Paul Scott Thomas

Welsh Music Prize Shortlist Announced

Happy Birthday The Full Moon!

Future of the Left, Kids in Glass Houses and Los Campesinos! head up the varied shortlist for this year’s Welsh Music Prize, which promises to be an even bigger event than last year’s inaugural shindig. The prize celebrates albums made by acts born or based in Wales and, in addition to a glamorous ceremony to celebrate the winner on Thursday 18th October, the evening before will see a concert at Cardiff’s Coal Exchange featuring performances from a number of the shortlisted acts. Alongside internationally recognised acts such as Cate Le Bon, the shortlist also celebrates regional heroes like Truckers of Husk, Cowbois Rhos Botwnnog and Kutosis, giving a promotional leg up to albums which may have passed a lot of people by upon their original release. The Welsh Music Prize was established by Sŵn figureheads Huw Stephens and John Rostron in 2011, and acts as an opener to the Cardiff city centre-based festival. Tickets for the Coal Exchange gig will be available from the Sŵn Presents website at a cost of £10. Here’s the shortlist in full: • Bright Light Bright Light – Make Me Believe in Hope

It seems to have been a fixture on Cardiff’s Womanby Street forever, but 1st October marks the first birthday of The Full Moon. In what has been a remarkably busy year it has expanded itself into effectively three distinct venues (The Full Moon, The Moon Club and The Loft), hosted hundreds of high quality acts and cemented itself in the consciousness of the capital. Venue owner Gwyn Thomas stated: “‘The last twelve months have been a rollercoaster to say the least! We’ve had some acts play here that by all rights should have been playing in rooms at 3 or 4 times the capacity. It seems that The Full Moon has become a place that bands want to play, and that is amazing. It’s been a tough slog, but ultimately it’s been so rewarding.” The birthday party on the 30th September 2012 offered typical bombast with around 20 bands playing throughout the day to celebrate. These included the likes of Statues Of Us, Johnny Cage’s Hopeful Sinners, One Eyed God, The Knox and many more. www.thefullmooncardiff.com

• Cate Le Bon – CYRK • Cowbois Rhos Botwnnog – Draw Dros Y Mynydd • Exit International – Black Junk • Future of the Left – The Plot Against Common Sense • Huw M. – Gathering Dusk • Islet – Illuminated People • Jodie Marie – Mountain Echo • Kids in Glass Houses – In Gold Blood • Kutosis – Fanatical Love • Los Campesinos! – Hello Sadness • Truckers of Husk – Accelerated Learning A lot of good albums there, we’re sure you’ll agree. If you’re not familiar with any of them, then you should absolutely check them out! welshmusicprize.com

Oxjam Takeover Takes Over The annual charity musical juggernaut that is Oxjam Festival is set to breeze across Cardiff and, indeed, the rest of Wales in the early stages of October. The Cardiff event set for the 7th October 2012 will take over the venues of Womanby Street - Clwb Ifor Bach, The Full Moon, The Loft, The City Arms, Dempsey’s, Revolution - as well as 10 Feet Tall and Undertone on Church Street. With the promotional team comprising the likes of Jealous Lovers, Nation Radio, Nyth, Balderdash and Beat Review the line-up will be something to behold. Confirmed already are The Modern Farewell, Science Bastard, Totem Terrors, Greetings, Ivan Moult and many, many more. With wristbands for the whole festival costing only £9 on the door (available from The Full Moon) or £6 in advance, it’s fair to say that this is a bloomin’ bargain! More on the Cardiff event can be found at www .oxjamcardifftakeover.co.uk and broader details of the Oxjam events happening across Wales and beyond are available on the Oxjam site www. oxfam.org.uk/oxjam


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What we’ve been listening to Kate

Howler - Back Of Your Neck The much hyped Minnesota rockers come up with the goods with this urgent menace of a track. Distilling everything fun about The Strokes into a cocktail also comprising Beach Boys harmonies, classic 50s rock ‘n’ roll guitar lines, and a strutting, unrelenting sense of cool.

Aimee

Temples - Keep In The Dark

SWN Festival Ready To Go With the lineup and headliners all announced, SWN Festival is now ready to fly later this month. Commencing on Thursday 18th October and running, jam-packed, until the late, late night of the Sunday 21st October, its 6th year looks as good as ever. The Cribs have been announced as the main headliners, complementing a bill already comprising the likes of Django Django, Errors, Clock Opera, Gallows, John Grant and more proud Welsh talent than anyone could reasonably shake a stick at. Alongside the hundreds of musical acts there will also be art exhibitions, the Indie Label Market running in Chapter and plenty more to keep the weekend almost unnecessarily full. Cue double quick excursions from Gwdihw Cafe Bar to Chapter, a weekend long effort to drink through ‘it’, and culture pouring out across the city. For ongoing updates, the lineup, ticket info and all these other necessities, including a SWN App for your phone, visit the festival website: www.swnfest.com And be sure to keep an eye on The MMP site, too, for regular coverage of what the heck has been going on: www.themmp.tv

Focus Wales Announces 2013 Opportunities Wrexham’s 3-day music festival and conference, Focus Wales, has recently announced the availability of work placement and voluntary intern opportunities at its 2013 event. Set for the weekend of the 25th - 27th April 2013 Focus will bring together hundreds of musicians from Wales and beyond, as well as representatives from the BBC, the Welsh Music Foundation, Arts Council for Wales and innumerate other industry bodies. Last year the festival provided over 40 individuals with practical experience in the various working aspects of running a large event. These positions ranged from behind the scenes activities such as technical crew, and lighting & sound engineering, to hospitality, artist liaising and logistics. In 2013, the number of placements will be increased to 60 with expressions of interest being welcomed from this September onwards. To register your interest in a practical work placement at Focus Wales 2013, you can get in touch with the festival organisers using the details below. Placement details and job descriptions will be announced in early 2013. E-mail: info@focuswales.com Website: www.focuswales.com

This neo-psych rock duo from England have certainly hit upon an uber-cool sound here. Falling somewhere between Tame Impala, T. Rex and The Byrds, it sounds crisply modern while simultaneously charting a classic period of psychedelia. Top quality.

Joel

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Oh My Lord I’m not sure what’s going on in this everescalating epic of a song but it sounds important. Especially when Nick is yowling lines like “A guy wearing plastic antlers presses his bum against the glass”. Transcendental.

Jim

Divine Fits - Flagging A Ride Our cross-Atlantic cousins seem to be churning out some fantastic disco-tinged indie-pop at present with this track no exception. Taken from their superb debut album, this LA trio are well worth a listen.

Joe Plyci - Flump

One of my favourite discoveries through Sŵn research, this 10” on Welsh label Peski is an enjoyable journey through Daft Punk-esque house, glitchy electro and, well, banging tunes. His set could be one of the highlights of this month’s festival.

Simon

His Royal Hipness Lord Buckley - The Naz An oddity from the 1950s, Lord Buckley was renowned for re-imagining the lives of historical characters as though they were ‘jazz cats’. Here he describes the life of Jesus, or The Naz as he liked to call him, with minimal jazzy backing and a Beat poet delivery oozing pomp.

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The MMP October 2012

Lostprophets After forming in 1997, and a few years later blazing an incandescent trail out of Pontypridd, Lostprophets have assuredly conquered not just Wales and the UK, but the entire world with their alternative rock-metal anthems. Fifteen years, over three and a half million album sales, a fanbase stretching the breadth of the planet; all of this international globe-wandering is tempered by their strong love of their home country and their ongoing integration with the area. As exhibit A, take their involvement with Merthyr Rock in which they took over and curated a stage featuring Pulled Apart By Horses, Save Your Breath, Exit International, Bastions and Astroid Boys among others; most of whom are Wales-based. We caught up with them ahead of their upcoming tours to talk Merthyr, music and merriment... THE MMP: Hello, how the devil are you? Wicked, man. We’ve just finished the Warped tour. It’s our first day off in about two weeks, so feeling really good. The tour’s been amazing. We had a really good reaction, the crowds were cool, the bands have been cool. We’ve had a great time. It’s been awesome. THE MMP: The Merthyr Rock festival is looking like a South Wales fixture after two successful years. You took over the stage for one of the nights, picking a lot of Welsh acts - was this a deliberate choice on your part? We wanted to pick bands that we backed one hundred percent, basically. It just turned out that a lot of them were Welsh. It might be a case of nepotism. A lot of the bands we tour with are Welsh and we all grew up in the same scene. But it was a really easy choice for us, we didn’t do it because they were Welsh, we chose because we felt they were the best bands.

THE MMP: It was quite an eclectic range featuring hip-hop as well as

THE MMP: In spite of you being international stars, there still seems to be a strong Welsh connection... Yeah, totally. You know, we’ve been around, and some of us live in Los Angeles right now. But we still consider Wales our home. Our best friends are still based in Cardiff and Pontypridd, like the Attack! Attack! boys and Kids In Glass Houses. So we always feel like when we come back to Cardiff, it’s like coming home. Can’t say it any simpler, it just feels right.

“Cardiff, it’s like coming home. Can’t say it any simpler, it just feels right.” the harder rock we’d be more likely to expect... The thing with us is that since we started in 1997, we’ve always been into every kind of music. Hip-hop, rock, hardcore, pop; as long as it’s good, we like it. So when we were picking the stage, we didn’t worry about a genre, we just picked the best. The Black and Reds, a two-piece blues-rock band, are incredible. I don’t know if they fit but they’re a hell of a live band. Same goes for Scott (Lee Andrews) and Exit International, who are incredible characters.

THE MMP: Your career has demonstrated several phases and variations in sound. How do you regard your development over the last 15 years? The boring answer is that it’s been really organic. Like I say, we’ve always been into different things and we’ve never worried about things not fitting. Of course, we have certain boundaries we won’t cross but pretty much anything goes in Lostprophets - apart from doing a country ballad album (laughs). People sometimes think we’ve done a pop record because the management is telling us to do it but we’re doing it because we like it. I can’t think of anything we’ve done against our will. Sometimes it doesn’t work


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Words and Interview: Simon M. Read

lostprophets.com

Photo: Andrew Whitton

out, but it’s always been our idea. THE MMP: Do you think some of this creative freedom is down to the strength of your fanbase? It’s weird, when you start off with a band you’re really angry. As you get older, though, you realise it isn’t that fire that’s keeping you going, it’s the fans. You feel humbled that there’s people out there who will always want to listen to you and will always be there for you. You couldn’t do anything without them, and a lot of bands don’t seem to realise that. THE MMP: What have you made of the reception to the Weapons LP, released earlier this year? Are you proud of the record? Yeah, love that record. We’re really proud that we went into the studio with just ideas and managed to get it written and recorded in about two weeks. It was the first time in ages we’d jammed one out in that way, playing with our gut instincts, and not over-thinking things or making ourselves sick with worry. It was more like how we recorded after we were first signed. It’s a relief to know we can still do it that way, capturing that magic and messing around.

THE MMP: What do you make of where the Welsh music scene is currently? Do you think it’s in rude health or needing a shot of adrenaline? It’s funny, at the moment it feels a bit like we’re on the outside looking in. But it seems great, everyone I know is in love with music. It’s so hard to be a band these days but the people I love are still making music and they’re still really into it. It makes you realise people are doing it for the right reasons. When people are asked “what would you do if you weren’t a successful musician?”, the answer is “I’d be a broke musician”. And that’s the healthiest attitude, I think. It’s very sincere. THE MMP: Any particular acts from this country that are setting your flan on fire at the moment? It’s the usual suspects at the moment. A friend sent a demo of a band with members from Kids In Glass Houses and Attack! Attack! called On Guard. It’s really bluesy sounding hardcore. A band called Funeral Party from LA on the Warped Tour were amazing too and blew my mind. But the last Welsh band that got me really excited was Exit International, but that’s not to say no other great bands have come out, just that I’ve been really busy! THE MMP: Your upcoming November tour brings you back to

the UK. How do you find the different crowds across the continents? Any favourite places to play? The more extreme the better. The best thing about playing in the UK is that you get some of the old crowds coming back to see you. But you can play in Russia...and that’s just crazy. Those kids are intense (laughs). Or you play some states in America and people are shooting guns and drinking moonshine. Some of the states in middle America were great. We played El Paso and there were bullet holes in the venue and police tape outside. Pretty scary. THE MMP: What plans have you got over the next year or so? Can we expect another record in the not too distant future? We’re trying to figure out the next year right now. But the plan is to go into the studio as soon as we can. If we manage to get a tour in January, we will. If not, we’ll go into the studio. We’ve had some ups and downs over the last few years, some friction, but we’re the strongest we’ve been as a band now for ages. So this next record should be a lot less painful than the last couple (laughs).

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The MMP October 2012

The Knox continue in the tradition of the Beat sound of the sixties: jangly guitars; intertwining harmonies; tight percussion; and, most importantly, a spirit of enthusiastic verve.

soundcloud.com/the-knox-band

The Knox

When you first see The Knox, chances are you’ll be struck by their astounding youthfulness. Indeed, on first meeting you may expect them to offer you a strawberry lace or a panda pop as the first conversational gambit. But as with fellow Cardiff-based young upstarts, Houdini Dax, behind these wrinkle-free faces lurk musical minds bearing the wisdom of the ages. The Knox continue in the tradition of the Beat sound of the sixties: jangly guitars; intertwining harmonies; tight percussion; and, most importantly, a spirit of enthusiastic verve. Take ‘In My Head’ as an example - a bustling demo recently placed on their burgeoning Soundcloud site - it recreates the early sound of The Kinks with a sprightly bassline, interjections of high-pitched vocal backing and, most importantly of all, the kind of melody that engraves itself onto your cerebellum for months after the initial listen. Likewise, tracks such as ‘Road Run (You Do You Do You Don’t You Don’t)’, ‘Next Time Round’ and ‘She’ pull off similar excavations of classic pop-rock with a consistency that, quite frankly, should be beyond three A-Level students. And that’s just talking about their recordings. When playing

live the duelling vocals of Joel Hurst and Jack Permintella soar skyward as though they were the left and right wings of a falcon, all the while backed by Sol Whiteside’s piston drumming and a blend of guitar, bass and occasionally keys. It rocks hard and it rocks fast. When speaking about young bands, the common discursive thread is that of potential. Often this can be a tad patronising, especially to folks capable of expertly mining songwriting traditions in place at least thirty years before they were born. Regardless, it’s certainly true that half of what makes The Knox so damn exciting is the anticipation as to what they will be capable of given a little time. Their songs are currently being recorded in their bedrooms, offering a charming lo-fi element to the proceedings, but what could be achieved with a sympathetic producer in a well-decked out studio is altogether mind-boggling. But let’s not get carried away thinking of the future. Let’s bask in the qualities of a band who are doing wonderful things right here and right now. SMR


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The MMP October 2012

Si么n Russell Jones sionrusselljones.com


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Siôn Russell Jones was still in university when he recorded his debut album, And Suddenly. He’s come a long way since then, having supported Newton Faulkner, played at the South by Southwest Festival in Texas, and lent his music to the likes of EastEnders and Coronation Street. He’s also racked up a fair bit of radio play; several big names, including Huw Stephens and Craig Charles, have rather publicly sung his praises, and his future looks very bright indeed. All of which can be attributed to this man’s ear for a tune. Jones’ music is never angular or pretentious, it’s just tuneful and lovely. We music writers frequently use the word ‘pleasant’ in a disparaging way, implying that the artist in question is inoffensive and bland, but Siôn Russell Jones specialises in a wholly more pleasant kind of pleasance. He’s good at writing upbeat, summery tunes, and while he does occasionally indulge in an introspective acoustic moment, the majority of his music is peppered with cautious optimism and carefully-rationed chutzpah.

“A Siôn Russell Jones live performance tends to consist of just the man and his guitar, but fast fingers, a harmoniser pedal, and a pitch-perfect voice make for an entertaining show. ” Jones’ studio recordings are fleshed out by a colourful array of instrumentation (drums, glockenspiel, brass...), but that doesn’t mean he can’t put on a good show on his own. A Siôn Russell Jones live performance tends to consist of just the man and his guitar, but fast fingers, a harmoniser pedal, and a pitch-perfect voice make for an entertaining show. The drums and brass and whatever sound great, but the songs are strong enough to stand up without them. And you’d be hard-pressed to choose the strongest. ‘Mandy’, with its insistent strumming and tinkly piano runs, is an instant classic, but the same could be said of ‘Indestructible’, which boasts a gorgeous instrumental arrangement and vocal delivery that’s both lightning quick and wonderfully laid-back. Elsewhere, the stripped-back ‘Maybe She’ll Remember’ is catchy in spite of itself, while the near-African touches on songs like ‘And Suddenly’ are a great indicator of just how broad this guy’s palette is. Siôn Russell Jones has successfully sidestepped the dullness into which modern singer-songwriters so often lapse, and one senses that his best is yet to come. His music is wonderful, uncynical, and a pleasure to listen to - hopefully he’ll be rustling our Joneses for a good while yet. JDE

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The MMP October 2012

Words and Interview: Adele Macgregor

Soundtrack Film and Music Festival

Launched in 2008, The Soundtrack International Film and Music Festival was created to exhibit and celebrate the relationship between music and cinema.

Based in Cardiff, the first event played host to Oscar winning composer Gabriel Yared, performing alongside the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, and Danny Boyle who presented the second ever UK screening of Slumdog Millionaire. The following year the festival welcomed Velvet Underground’s John Cale, Super Furry Animals and filmmaker Julien Temple. Soundtrack took a break in 2010 but returned stronger in November 2011, branching out into Newport and including the ‘X Banned: A Clockwork Orange’ exhibition with materials from the Stanley Kubrick Archive and bringing Adam Buxton and his ‘BUG: The Evolution of Music Video’ show to Cardiff for the first time. This year promises to build on all of these successes with the introduction of new features such as the Soundtrack Mini Music Doc Award for music documentaries under half an hour long. We caught up with Festival Manager, Marcus Lawry, to discuss plans and see the lay of the land.


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THE MMP: What inspired you to create this festival? ML:There’s so many film festivals out there that you need to differentiate yourself in terms of theme. We’re music promoters first and foremost, so we decided to focus on that aspect of film; soundtracks and scores. It’s gotten a great response in the first three years because of that theme, and it brings music and film buffs together in one place. We didn’t want to come across too serious either, so we were keen to keep a balance in the programme. Whether you’re fan of sparse, introspective film scores, or pumping your fist in the air to ‘Danger Zone’ from the Top Gun soundtrack, we’ve got you covered. THE MMP: What element of this year’s festival are you most excited about? ML: We’ve yet to announce our full programme, so I can’t tell you, but in terms of screenings we’ve got some amazingly quirky stuff lined up that you’ll be lucky to see anywhere else on these grey old isles. There’s also a couple of guests who I’ve been chasing for a few years who have finally said yes. We have also lunched our first International competition, the Soundtrack Mini Music Doc Award. It’s for music documentaries under 30 minutes long, and the response has been superb, with films arriving from around the planet. THE MMP: What do you feel makes a great music documentary? ML: It’s a good question, and one we’ve had to look at when judging our Music Doc Award. For me personally, if a documentary focusing on a subject that I have no prior knowledge of can engage me fully, then the filmmaker has done his job. A recent example would be ‘Searching for Sugar Man’ which sucked me out of my life and in to the world of Rodriguez, who I’d never heard of, for 90 minutes and then spat me out begging for more. That’s what it’s all about. THE MMP: How important is it to you to be involved with independent and local artists and businesses? ML: I think it’s vital to engage with local organisations and artists, but there needs to be a balance, as something like Soundtrack

is all about different perspectives. THE MMP: Who has been the most awe-inspiring person you have worked with? ML: In terms of Soundtrack I’d have to say Danny Boyle. He rocked up on his own, blew our minds, spent an age talking to the audience outside the screen, then came for a pint at the after party. I’m not fit to lick his boots, but he made us feel like we were doing him a favour having him there. No attitude, no ego, and a fantastic canon of work behind him. I’ll also give an honourable mention to Don Letts and John Cale; two cultural pioneers and the exact type of guests we want to build our programmes around. THE MMP: How have you approached setbacks in the past and how have they shaped the festival? ML: There will always be setbacks and you just have to learn from them, as in any area of life, but we’re still here, still with the same vision we started out with, and we’re looking forward to the future. THE MMP: What has been the greatest challenge so far and what has been your greatest achievement? ML: We missed a year in 2010 which coincided with a UK wide reappraisal of how arts funding was distributed, prompted by the economic crisis. Losing the momentum but coming back stronger in 2011 was probably our biggest challenge so far, but it steeled us to follow our vision of

continuing to produce a culturally forward thinking event that will attract and engage audiences, from Wales and beyond. Our biggest achievement? Oscar winning composer Gabriel Yared conducting the BBC National Orchestra of Wales in 2008, John Cale & Orchestra performing ‘Paris 1919’ in 2009 and Guillemots live scoring Faust in 2011 were all unique events that we commissioned that had never taken place before, and as result we got the national and international coverage that they deserved. John Cale in particular brought in audiences from all over the world, as well as bringing The Culture Show to Cardiff, which was no mean feat. That kind of reaction to what we are trying to achieve really drives us forward. THE MMP: What is next for Soundtrack festival? We want to give Cardiff the type of film festival which it deserves, reflecting the progressive and diverse artists and audiences which reside here. To do that we need to keep our programme cutting edge, our guests inspirational and our performances unique.

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Event Listings

The MMP October 2012

Gigs of the month

MON 1ST OCTOBER

The Live Lounge @ The Live Lounge, 12:00pm, FREE* Live covers throughout the day: 12pm – Smokin’ Aces Duo;4.30pm – Sion Russell Jones; 7pm – Honey Fungus; 10pm – Honey Fungus Band

Contagious Open Mic @ Pen & Wig, 7:30pm, FREE* Weekly open mic in this charming old school pub We Are The Ocean + Guests @ Clwb Ifor Bach, 7:30pm, £12*Loughtonbased four piece alternative rockers come on down to Clwb Jodie Marie @ St David’s Hall, 8:00pm, £11 / £10* Gifted singer-songwriter Jodie Marie elegantly graces the stage at St David’s hall with a touch of light blues

Live Music Monday @ The Taf, 8:00pm, FREE* Weekly live music in the Union’s pub Now, Now / Denuo @ Buffalo Bar, 8:00pm, £6 / £5* Layered guitars, lines of synth and an indie-rock sonic landscape from this Minneapolis based act

Ukulele Jam @ Gwdihw, 8:00pm, FREE* An evening of happy strumming, with a selection of classic pop hits being played – all welcome and there’s spare ukes

Welsh Traditional Music Session @ Cayo Arms, 8:45pm, FREE* Traditional Welsh folk tunes each week. Come and hear, play and sing Welsh tunes in an informal, friendly atmosphere Rob Cross @ O’Neills St. Mary Street, 9:30pm, FREE* Mr Cross bears his soul and a mighty lot of tunesmithery for the big O’Neills patrons

Bump ‘n’ Grind @ Undertone, 10:00pm, £4 / £3* Classic 90s hip-hop and R ‘n’ B themed night to swing away those late night hours TUES 2ND OCTOBER

The Live Lounge @ The Live Lounge, 12:00pm, FREE* Live covers throughout the day: 12pm – Sion Russell Jones; 4.30pm – Robert Cross; 10pm – Face Value

Lionel Cottet & Louis Schwizgebel @ St David’s Hall, 1:00pm, £6.50 / £5.50* A dynamic and virtuosic cello/piano duo fresh from the peaks of Switzerland Cardiff Music Festival @ Glanfa Stage, Wales Millennium Centre, 6:00pm, FREE* Free music on the Glanfa Stage as part of Cardiff Music Festival’s build up

Kickback Open Mic @ The Old Library, 7:00pm, FREE* Well-attended open mic on The Hayes La Boheme @ Wales Millennium Centre, 7:15pm, £40 - £5* Puccini’s classic opera performed

with the Welsh National Opera

Elway @ Gwdihw, 7:30pm, £5* STHC present American band Elway and their aggressive, melodic pop-punk – support from Leagues Apart, and Hipflask Capital City Jazz Orchestra feat. Matthew Ford @ St David’s Hall, 8:00pm, £13 / £12* The finest big band singer in the UK joins forces with our very own Capital City Jazz Orchestra for an unforgettable experience on Level 3

Open Mic w/ Rob Cross @ O’Neills Trinity Street, 8:30pm, FREE* Open mic night in the smaller O’Neills with Rob Cross as the more than capable host The Anglo Welsh Stompers @ Cafe Jazz, 8:30pm, £4 / £3.50* The Preservation Jazz society present this unified set of English and Welsh players for old-time swing

It’s Bigger Than @ Buffalo Bar, 9:00pm, £4.50 / £4* Classic old school hip-hop in this one-off club night

Jazz at Dempsey’s Sessions @ Dempsey’s, 9:00pm, £5 / £4* A wonderful array of jazz programmed by people who genuinely care about it – styles range from bebop, swing, modern, traditional, fusion and every jazz stop in between Smokin’ Aces @ O’Neills St Mary’s Street, 9:00pm, FREE* Covers of everything from AC/DC to Lady GaGa from these plucky Aces WED 3RD OCTOBER

The Live Lounge @ The Live Lounge, 12:00pm, FREE* Live covers throughout the day: 12pm – Tony Morley; 4.30pm – Tony Morley Duo; 7pm – Robert Cross Duo; 10pm – The Groovinators

Pro Corda @ Glanfa Stage, Wales Millennium Centre, 12:30pm, FREE* Young classical musicians take to the WMC’s Glanfa Stage

Cardiff Music Festival @ Glanfa Stage, Wales Millennium Centre, 6:00pm, FREE* More live music as part of the build up to Cardiff Music Festival on WMC’s Glanfa Stage Così Fan Tutte @ Wales Millenium Centre, 7:00pm, £40 - £5* Mozart’s comic opera is given the Welsh National Opera treatment in this 2 night run The Wooden Sky / Evening Hymns @ Buffalo Bar, 7:00pm, £8 / £6* Canadian indie rock collective flitting between folk ballads and heavier offerings

Attila The Stockbroker & Guests @ Bogiez, 7:30pm, £6* Legendary punk poet and folk punk songwriter Attila The Stockbroker drops in with social surrealism the raison d’etre

Gideon Conn / Quiet Marauder @ 10 Feet Tall, 7:30pm, £5 / £4*One of the UK’s finest young songwriters appears to be on something of a never-ending tour. After supporting Scroobius Pip, he was heralded as a bespoke British treasure for his informed lyricism and impeccable delivery. And now he’s back again. Support comes from anti-folkers Quiet Marauder and My Name Is Ian. Hullabaloo @ Gwdihw, 7:30pm, £3* Upbeat soul pop with plenty of danceable hooks – support from Fjords, Nine Lights, and The Phantom Light St Petersburg Symphony Orchestra @ St David’s Hall, 7:30pm, £33 - £5* Vaughan Williams’s tribute to Thomas Tallis, from the rich sonorous strings of the St Petersburg Symphony Orchestra

The Skints + Support @ Clwb Ifor Bach, 7:30pm, £10* Reggae/dub/ska/ reggae/rock from London with The Drop and Captain Accident & The Disasters in support

W.A.S.P. @ The Great Hall 2, 7:30pm, £TBC* Age-old American heavy metallers rocking the same style boat as Motley Crue and co Anthony Lee Wickham’s Open Mic @ The North Star, 8:00pm, FREE* The uber-talented performer Wickham welcomes all to this North Road open mic John Godwin @ O’Neills Trinity Street, 8:00pm, FREE* Fantastic weekly acoustic set from the human jukebox!

Pangea @ The Moon Club, 8:00pm, £4* A student night filled to the brim with glorious live music Open Mic Night @ NosDa, 8:30pm, FREE* A regular open mic night with great offers on Welsh branded drinks. Iechyd da!

Colum Regan @ O’Neills St Mary’s Street, 9:00pm, FREE* Irish born troubadour Colum entertains us all with his covers Jazz at Dempsey’s Sessions @ Dempsey’s, 9:00pm, £5 / £4* A wonderful array of jazz programmed by people who genuinely care about it – styles range from bebop, swing, modern, traditional, fusion and every jazz stop in between Jazz Attic Jam Session @ Cafe Jazz, 9:00pm, FREE* Long running jam session with accomplished players backing those willing to give it a shot THURS 4TH OCTOBER

Cardiff Music Festival @ Various Locations, 4th-7th October * Focussing predominantly on the classical, musical theatre and pop side of things, Cardiff Music Festival breezes into the RWCMD, Y Tabernacl Church and the Wales Millennium Centre

with a broad suite of events. Expect visits from Only Men Aloud, Connie Fisher, Shan Cothi and a range of up and coming Welsh artists. The Live Lounge @ The Live Lounge, 12:00pm, FREE* Live covers throughout the day: 12pm – Sion Russell Jones; 4.30pm – Tony Morley; 7pm – The Spokes; 10pm – Sleepy Weasels Welsh National Opera @ Glanfa Stage, Wales Millennium Centre, 5:45pm, FREE* Members of the WNO perform for free on the Glanfa Stage

Jephta @ Wales Millenium Centre, 7:15pm, £40 - £5* Handel’s opera is given the Welsh National Opera touch down in the Bay in the final show of its run Cardiff Music Festival – Stage For Singer-Songwriters Final @ The Gate, 7:30pm, £10 / £8* X-Factor’s Lucie Jones helps to judge the singer-songwriter talent of the future – all part of Cardiff Music Festival Charlotte Carpenter + Molly Zacharias + Zygment Day / WOMP @ The Moon Club, 7:30pm, £4* A student night full of angry alternative folk music followed by WOMP, One Mission & Traffic: Beats vs Bass Mash Up

Flux Pavilion @ Solus, 7:30pm, £12.50* The English brostep provocateur is being thrown into fame’s gaping mouth, support comes from Dillon Francis Last Mic Standing @ 10 Feet Tall, 7:30pm, £1* An open mic with a spirit of competition – it’s a knockout affair of heats comprising comedy, music and spoken word

Yes Sir Boss + Palomino Party @ The Moon Club, 7:30pm, £5* Horn-led hooks, offbeat rhythms, and seductively expressive vocals from Yes Sir Boss Clic Cardiff Open Mic @ Rococo, 8:00pm, FREE* The only open mic in Cardiff with an in-house baby grand for all to use! There’s also a featured band and a free beer for every performer!

Jazz Night @ The North Star, 8:00pm, FREE* Weekly dose of jazz in North Road’s premier, best decked out night spot

Leighton Jones Jam Night @ The Yard, 8:00pm, FREE* The man possessed of the soulful croon fronts this jam night in the Brewery Quarter Miniature Dinosaurs @ Undertone, 8:00pm, £4 / £2* Great showcase from Cardiff Live Music Society featuring pop-rockers Miniature Dinosaurs as the gem

Open Mic w/ Box Fort @ Owain Glyndwr, 8:00pm, FREE* Regular weekly open mic hosted by the acoustic talents of Box Fort Skunk-Boy Project @ The Full Moon, 8:00pm, FREE*

Ukulele playing singer-songwriter all the way from Melton Mowbray The Illegal Eagles @ St David’s Hall, 8:00pm, £22.50 / £20.50 * The best ever Eagles tribute act ever in the world ever soar over to Cardiff The Music Box @ Bacchus, 8:00pm, FREE* Free night comprising resident musicians, special guests and cocktail / tapas offers

Nick Knock by CF5 @ Koko Gorillaz, 8:30pm, FREE* Popular jam night featuring a houseband with a full backline setup, hosted by the gifted talents of Nick Walker The Jim Jam Session @ The Claude, 8:30pm, FREE* A sweet open mic night with a special guest band as the icing on the cake

Carlo Fraccalvieri @ Cafe Jazz, 9:00pm, £6 / £5* The Cardiff Jazz Society present this fine player on the alto sax Live Cover Bands @ O’Neills St. Mary Street, 9:00pm, FREE* The weekends at O’Neills are characterised by sweaty cover bands playing their hearts out

Smokin’ Aces @ O’Neills Trinity Street, 9:00pm, FREE* The rocky covers of the Aces fill the O’Neills music room

Trevino @ Buffalo Bar, 10:00pm, £7 / £5* Formerly known as Marcus Intalex in his d ‘n’ b guise, now he does house and techno as Trevino – highly regarded FRI 5TH OCTOBER

The Live Lounge @ The Live Lounge, 12:00pm, FREE* Live covers throughout the day: 12pm – Tony Morley; 4.30pm – Little Giants; 7pm – Smokin’ Aces Duo Angela Barnes @ Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, 1:15pm, £8 / £6* Barnes manipulates the french horn to sound effervescently beautiful in this lunchtime session

Young Welsh Artists Recital Series @ Y Tabernacl Church, 1:15pm, FREE* Young soprano Rhiannon Llewellyn performs songs by Strauss and Debussy, as well as some contemporary works by British composers – part of Cardiff Music Festival George Michael Symphonic Orchestra @ Motorpoint Arena, 7:00pm, £TBC* George Michael is back out on tour, hopefully, with a flippin’ orchestra backing him too

La Boheme @ Wales Millennium Centre, 7:15pm, £40 - £5* Puccini’s opera returns for the final night of its run in the Wales Millennium Centre Cakehole Presley EP Launch @ The Globe, 7:30pm, £10 / £8* Cardiff folk-rock local legends launch their spanking new EP – ticket price includes a copy Cath Woolridge & SOW Album Launch @ The Gate, 7:30pm, £5 / £3* Cath Woolridge and the SOW band as they launch the ‘Sound of Wales’, an assortment of musical

arrangements of old Welsh hymns with a new twist

Elin Manahan Thomas, Jeff Howard and the Cardiff Sinfonietta @ Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, 7:30pm, £TBC* Part of Cardiff Music Festival – this set of classical pieces takes place in the Dora Stoutzker Hall Hells Bells @ Bogiez, 7:30pm, £10* Earmarked as the definitive tribute to AC/ DC, Hells Bells have a proper rock on 3 Amp + Support @ The Yard, 8:00pm, FREE* Live covers from 3 Amp with, no doubt, some suitably capable support in tow

Friday Nights @ Bacchus, 8:00pm, FREE* Special guest DJs in Bacchus every Friday Johnny Cage’s Hopeful Sinners + Jez Hellard @ The Full Moon, 8:00pm, FREE* Saucy blues-rock from the hot and sizzling Johnny Cage followed by Gigantic DJs til late

Johnny Foreigner @ Gwdihw, 8:00pm, £5* The Birmingham based indie - pop-punk DIY heroes have built up something of a following over the last few years. Famed for anarchic, high-octane live shows, goodness knows how the city’s cosiest venue will cope with them. Especially when you factor in the stellar support of Playlounge and space-poppy Greetings. Jonathan Powell @ Ffresh, Wales Millennium Centre, 8:00pm, FREE* The Cardiff based multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter takes to Ffresh restaurant Jungle Boogie Fancy Dress Party: Afriquoi + Gung Ho Collective @ The Moon Club, 8:00pm, £3* Take a walk on the wild side and unleash the party animal inside you! Thoby Davis @ The North Star, 8:00pm, FREE* The loop pedal befriending wonder takes his one-man show to North Star

Bedlam @ The Great Hall, 9:00pm, £20* The Student’s Union fills up with acts like Knife Party, Feed Me, Dismantle, Astroid Boys, B-Triats and many more Live Cover Bands @ O’Neills St. Mary Street, 9:00pm, FREE* The weekends at O’Neills are characterised by sweaty cover bands playing their hearts out

Live Cover Bands @ O’Neills Trinity Street, 9:00pm, FREE* Fill up on all the craic you can take with live covers in the smaller O’Neills Aperture pres. Kasra / Enei @ Clwb Ifor Bach, 10:00pm, £7 / £5* The Aperture crew present the international drum ‘n’ bass talents of Kasra and Enei

Jack The Biscuit @ Cafe Jazz, 10:00pm, £4* Popular local blues / R&B band in the Blues Dragon sessions Obey! feat. New York Transit Authority @ Undertone, 10:00pm, £6* New project from Bristol dubstep producer Mensah bringing serious 808 vibes SAT 6TH OCTOBER

The Live Lounge @ The Live Lounge, 12:00pm,


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The MMP October 2012

FREE* Live covers throughout the day: 12pm – Sion Russell Jones; 4.30pm – Chris Topliss; 7pm – Colum Regan; 10pm – Little Giants Young Welsh Artists Recital Series @ Y Tabernacl Church, 1:15pm, £5* Tenor Trystan Llŷr Griffiths continues the Young Welsh Artists Recital Series with a programme of art song, lieder and traditional Welsh vocal music

Absolute Zero Viola Quartet @ Glanfa Stage, Wales Millennium Centre, 6:00pm, FREE* The viola quartet play classical pieces to the Millennium Centre foyer crowds

Blue Gillespie + Support @ Buffalo Bar, 7:00pm, £TBC* Progressive metal trio combining influences from Mars Volta to Portishead Così Fan Tutte @ Wales Millenium Centre, 7:00pm, £40 - £5* Second and final night in the run of Mozart’s comic opera – performed by the Welsh National Opera

George Michael Symphonic Orchestra @ Motorpoint Arena, 7:00pm, £TBC* A second night of George Michael playing the ‘hits’ with an orchestra backing him up all the way Jonny Craig / Hell’s Bent @ The Moon Club, 7:00pm, £8* The former vocalist of Dance Gavin Dance plays stripped-back acoustic soul followed by the gay alternative rock night, Hell’s Bent Pearl Jammer @ The Globe, 7:30pm, £10* A definitive Pearl Jam tribute band come to Albany Road’s hotspot for fun and frolics

Swing, Swing, Swing! @ Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, 7:30pm, £TBC* Shan Cothi and the Rhys Taylor Big Band present this evening of, yes, that’s right – SWING! Part of Cardiff Music Festival 3 Amp @ The North Star, 8:00pm, FREE* Live rock covers in the North Star on a Saturday night, why not?

Cheating Beatles / The Peeping Toms @ The Yard, 8:00pm, FREE* Live music from Beatles aping Cheating Beatles with the sinister sounding Peeping Toms supporting Chloe Cooke @ The Full Moon, 8:00pm, FREE* A night of alternative pop/rock from the singer-songwriter Chloe Cooke followed by the Five Dollar Shake DJs

Live Music Saturday @ Pen & Wig, 8:00pm, FREE* Every Saturday brings a live act to the Pen & Wig Y Bandana / Yr Angen @ Clwb Ifor Bach, 8:00pm, £5* The Welsh language indie-rockers entertain Clwb with Yr Angen and Y Plu in support Gaz Brookfield @ NosDa, 8:30pm, FREE* Live music night in the charming river side hostel, featuring the talents of Gaz Brookfield this week Juju Nations feat. Laid Blak @ Gwdihw, 9:00pm, £3* The classy afrobeat of Juju Nations this time features the urban reggae

big boys Laid Blak as well – splendid! Live Cover Bands @ O’Neills St. Mary Street, 9:00pm, FREE* The weekends at O’Neills are characterised by sweaty cover bands playing their hearts out

Live Cover Bands @ O’Neills Trinity Street, 9:00pm, FREE* Fill up on all the craic you can take with live covers in the smaller O’Neills SUN 7TH OCTOBER

The Live Lounge @ The Live Lounge, 12:00pm, FREE* Live covers throughout the day: 12pm – Tony Morley; 3.30pm – Open Mic Afternoon; 6.30pm – Marie; 8pm – Colum Regan; 10pm – Goose Oxjam Takeover Cardiff @ Various Locations, 1:00pm, £9 / £6* A one-day marathon of music, art, film and more on Womanby Street and nearby Church Street. In terms of music you can expect local heroes Totem Terrors, Science Bastard, Palomino Party, Greetings, Gindrinker, Ivan Moult and so many more. Plus, it’s all for a good cause so there’s really no excuse. Young Welsh Artists Recital Series @ Y Tabernacl Church, 1:15pm, £5* Hannah Stone, Royal Harpist to HRH the Prince of Wales, plays a selection of music for the instrument that is so synonymous with Wales’ musical heritage – part of Cardiff Music Festival Stephen Hough @ Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, 2:00pm, £12 / £10* Stephen Hough plays Chopin, Brahms and Schumann’s “Carnaval” exquisitely on piano

Birkenstock @ Gwdihw, 4:00pm, FREE* In aid of the Free Pussy Riot Campaign comes entertainment from performers such as Josie Henley-Einion, Emily Harding King, Meirion Boudier & His Moon Cup, Little Eris and more Livas Quartet @ Glanfa Stage, Wales Millennium Centre, 6:00pm, FREE* A quartet built around clarinet perform for free on the WMC’s foyer stage John Cale & Band @ The Coal Exchange, 7:00pm, £20* The former Velvet Underground man, and Welsh legend, visits Coal Exchange with his band alongside him

A Night At The Musicals @ Wales Millennium Centre, 7:30pm, £28.50 / £25* Part of Cardiff Music Festival – this evening of musicals features the talented likes of Connie Fisher, Kerry Ellis and many more Overoth / Necrotize / Rex Shachath @ Bogiez, 7:30pm, £5* A trio of Northern Irish hard rock – death metal from Overoth, death thrash from Necrotize and old school rock from Rex Shachath

The Midnight Beast @ The Great Hall, 7:30pm, £17.50* Comedic viral Internet sensations bring their fast-rising parodies on tour 2 Piece Sweet @ The North Star, 8:00pm, FREE* Covers rock and

reverberate through North Road’s plush pub

A Shot of Jazz @ A Shot In The Dark, 8:00pm, £TBC* Regular jazz sessions in an intimate setting, featuring the best of local (and not so local) talent Live Acoustic Duos @ O’Neills St. Mary Street, 9:00pm, FREE* Duelling acoustic guitars and vocals in the big O’Neills on St Mary’s St MON 8TH OCTOBER

The Live Lounge @ The Live Lounge, 12:00pm, FREE* Live covers throughout the day: 12pm – Smokin’ Aces Duo; 4.30pm – Sion Russell Jones; 7pm – Honey Fungus; 10pm – Honey Fungus Band

Arms of Atlas + Manhattan Coast + Set Aside + Only The Young @ The Moon Club, 7:00pm, TBC* Leicester-based alternative and melodic metal

Contagious Open Mic @ Pen & Wig, 7:30pm, FREE* Weekly open mic in this charming old school pub The Jim Jones Revue @ Clwb Ifor Bach, 7:30pm, £11* The London rock ‘n’ roll hellraisers pop by on the back of being nominated as one of MOJO’s top live bands in 2011 Jazz Revhŵ w/ Carlo Fraccalvieri @ Gwdihw, 8:00pm, £2* The monthly jazz night is back with saxophonist Carlo Fraccalvieri

Live Music Monday @ The Taf, 8:00pm, FREE* Weekly live music in the Union’s pub Motown Monday @ Buffalo Bar, 8:00pm, FREE* The classic tunes of Motown are brought out in this regular monthly night

Welsh Traditional Music Session @ Cayo Arms, 8:45pm, FREE* Traditional Welsh folk tunes each week. Come and hear, play and sing Welsh tunes in an informal, friendly atmosphere A New Old Fashioned Jazz Band @ Cafe Jazz, 9:00pm, £3 / £2.50* Classic jazz and swing, light-hearted songs, and original writing, in the style of the 1930s New York Rob Cross @ O’Neills St. Mary Street, 9:30pm, FREE* Mr Cross bears his soul and a mighty lot of tunesmithery for the big O’Neills patrons TUE 9TH OCTOBER

The Live Lounge @ The Live Lounge, 12:00pm, FREE* Live covers throughout the day: 12pm – Sion Russell Jones; 4.30pm – Robert Cross; 7pm – Chris Topliss; 10pm – Goose

New London Chamber Ensemble @ Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, 1:15pm, £8 / £6* Unconventionally energetic and mobile ensemble breathing life into the likes of Mozart

Kickback Open Mic @ The Old Library, 7:00pm, FREE* Well-attended open mic on The Hayes Scheherazade @ St David’s Hall, 7:30pm, £18.00 - £6.00* A stunning Dance-Opera inspired by

the legend of Scheherazade and her miraculous stories of the Arabian Nights set to the music of Rimsky Korsakov Shonen Knife + Guests @ Bogiez, 7:30pm, £10*The Japanese all-girl pop-punkalternativerockers have now been going since 1981,establishing a rather large cult following along the way. Nirvana and Sonic Youth pledged their allegiances to them, maybe it’s time you did too. Bof! @ Buffalo Bar, 8:00pm, FREE* Presented by DJ Gwenno, this night brings you afrobeat, psych, electronica and exotica The Decoy @ Undertone, 8:00pm, £3* Surf-punk-rockers visit all the way from Brighton curate this rather stellar line-up also with Ragweed, Masts and Flynn Lives on the bill

New Georgia Jazz Band Sextet @ Cafe Jazz, 8:30pm, £4 / £3.50* More good-time jazz and swing in the weekly Preservation Jazz Society sessions

Open Mic w/ Rob Cross @ O’Neills Trinity Street, 8:30pm, FREE* Open mic night in the smaller O’Neills with Rob Cross as the more than capable host Jazz at Dempsey’s Sessions @ Dempsey’s, 9:00pm, £5 / £4* A wonderful array of jazz programmed by people who genuinely care about it – styles range from bebop, swing, modern, traditional, fusion and every jazz stop in between Smokin’ Aces @ O’Neills St Mary’s Street, 9:00pm, FREE* Covers of everything from AC/DC to Lady GaGa from these plucky Aces WED 10TH OCTOBER

The Live Lounge @ The Live Lounge, 12:00pm, FREE* Live covers throughout the day: 12pm – Tony Morley; 4.30pm – Tony Morley Duo; 7pm – Robert Cross Duo; 10pm – Face Value

RWCMD Brass Band @ Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, 1:15pm, £7 / £5* Music of dark poetry and stirring power from British masters old and new –plus a guest appearance by Byron “Buzz” Newton

Buffalo Boutique / Cardiff Tea Club @ Buffalo Bar, 7:00pm, FREE* An evening of shopping, tea, cake and some darn fine reggae tunes courtesy of the Cardiff Tea Club DJs

Decapitated / Xerath / Bloodshot Dawn @ Bogiez, 7:30pm, £12* Highly respected Polish death metallers visit with Xerath and Bloodshot Dawn in support Eric Unseen / Empire @ Koko Gorillaz, 7:30pm, £3 / £2.50* The Real Live and Unsigned sessions open up with the melodic indie-pop of Eric Unseen Foreign Beggars @ Clwb Ifor Bach, 7:30pm, £14* British hip-hop / grime / dubstep troupe pay Clwb a visit

Rachel Sermanni / Greta Isaac @ 10 Feet Tall, 7:30pm, £7 adv* Highlands based singer-songwriter

arrives following tours with Mumford & Sons, KT Tunstall and Newton Faulkner

Pangea @ The Moon Club, 8:00pm, £4* A student night filled to the brim with glorious live music A Love Like Salt @ Chapter Arts Centre, 8:00pm, £12 - £8* The Devil’s Violin Company present this theatrical arrangement of British folk tales with live music from an inventive strings and accordion trio – haunting and hypnotic James Kennedy’s Open Mic @ The North Star, 8:00pm, FREE* Open mic duties in the North Star taken on by James Kennedy John Godwin @ O’Neills Trinity Street, 8:00pm, FREE* Fantastic weekly acoustic set from the human jukebox!

Open Mic Night @ NosDa, 8:30pm, FREE* A regular open mic night with great offers on Welsh branded drinks. Iechyd da!

Colum Regan @ O’Neills St Mary’s Street, 9:00pm, FREE* Irish born troubadour Colum entertains us all with his covers Jazz at Dempsey’s Sessions @ Dempsey’s, 9:00pm, £5 / £4* A wonderful array of jazz programmed by people who genuinely care about it – styles range from bebop, swing, modern, traditional, fusion and every jazz stop in between Mike Robins Jazz Trio @ Cafe Jazz, 9:00pm, £4 / £3* Mainstream material by Cole Porter, George Geshwin and many more a mixed bag of swing, latin, bossa and smooth jazz THURS 11TH OCTOBER

The Live Lounge @ The Live Lounge, 12:00pm, FREE* Live covers throughout the day: 12pm – Sion Russell Jones; 4.30pm – Smokin’ Aces Duo; 7pm – The Spokes; 10pm – Salvation

Birdbath + Zinc Bukowski + His Naked Torso + Dimensions @ The Moon Club, 7:00pm, £4* Instrumental Fugazi-esque shoegaze from Bristol Vans Off The Wall Music Night Tour @ Solus, 7:00pm, £12.50* Whole night of crazed rock featuring Young Guns, We Are In The Crowd, Your Demise, Marmozets and more

Beres Hammond @ The Great Hall, 7:30pm, £45* One of the original Jamaican Mr. Lover Lovers, Hammond takes a tour of like-minded souls into the Great Hall

Deborah Bonham Band @ The Globe, 7:30pm, £15* The sister of John Bonham brings her rock and blues vocal as well as backing band

Field Music / Warm Digits @ Clwb Ifor Bach, 7:30pm, £8.50* The Sunderland based indie art rockers come to Clwb on the back of recent LP ‘Plumb’ being Mercury-nominated Last Mic Standing @ 10 Feet Tall, 7:30pm, £1* An open mic with a spirit of competition – it’s a

knockout affair of heats comprising comedy, music and spoken word

Rachel Podger Plays Bach @ Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, 7:30pm, £12 / £10* One of the world’s most celebrated exponent of Bach’s unaccompanied works for violin takes to the Dora Stoutzker Hall

Clic Cardiff Open Mic @ Rococo, 8:00pm, FREE* The only open mic in Cardiff with an in-house baby grand for all to use! There’s also a featured band and a free beer for every performer!

Jazz Night feat. Dave Cliff @ The North Star, 8:00pm, FREE* This regular jazz night this time features special guest guitarist Dave Cliff – a Ronnie Scott’s regular and much esteemed member of the jazz fraternity Old Kerry McKee @ The Full Moon, 8:00pm, FREE* Rough and unpolished Americana-inspired folk & blues by a solo man playing a snare drum, an old record player and an acoustic guitar

Open Mic w/ Box Fort @ Owain Glyndwr, 8:00pm, FREE* Regular weekly open mic hosted by the acoustic talents of Box Fort September Girls @ Undertone, 8:00pm, £4* 5-piece garage pop of the harmonic, reverb-drenched variety, Welsh greats Hehfu and MMP featured act The Knox support

Sevans v Garden of Edam @ Gwdihw, 8:00pm, £2* A DJ tag-team battle-to-the-death between the Sevans brothers and the evil Garden of Edam DJs The Music Box @ Bacchus, 8:00pm, FREE* Free night comprising resident musicians, special guests and cocktail / tapas offers

The Peeping Toms @ The Yard, 8:00pm, FREE* Covers fusing together pop, rock, ska, reggae, jazz and dance Nick Knock by CF5 @ Koko Gorillaz, 8:30pm, FREE* Popular jam night featuring a houseband with a full backline setup, hosted by the gifted talents of Nick Walker The Jim Jam Session @ The Claude, 8:30pm, FREE* A sweet open mic night with a special guest band as the icing on the cake

Jazz Friques @ Cafe Jazz, 9:00pm, £6 / £5* Night of assured jazz from this saxophone led troupe Live Cover Bands @ O’Neills St. Mary Street, 9:00pm, FREE* The weekends at O’Neills are characterised by sweaty cover bands playing their hearts out

Smokin’ Aces @ O’Neills Trinity Street, 9:00pm, FREE* The rocky covers of the Aces fill the O’Neills music room

F.A.O. feat. Roska @ Buffalo Bar, 10:00pm, £TBC* A cocktail of swung house percussion, melodies and body-battering sub-bass from the Signature and F.A.O crews Gecko @ 10 Feet Tall, 10:00pm, FREE* A


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Music Map

The MMP October 2012

01 Clwb Ifor Bach 02 Gate Theatre 04 10 Feet Tall | Undertone 05 Buffalo 06 The Coal Exchange 07 O’Neills (Little) 08 Kama Lounge

27 35

09

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08

09 The Globe 10 O’ Neills (Big) 11 Shot in the Dark

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02

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25

13 Students Union 14 Tommy’s Bar 15 The Promised Land

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17 Gwdihŵ

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11

18 Dempsey’s 19 Owain Glyndwr 20 The Bunk House

BUTE PARK

24

16 Koko Gorilaz

40

13

08

01

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42

04

20 28 10

21 Bacchus

15

22 The Vulcan Lounge

25 The North Star

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26 Cafe Jazz

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27 The Pot

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36 33

23 St David’s Hall 24 Nos Da

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41

05

14

18

18

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28 Rococo 31 Bar 147 32 The Live Lounge 33 Mocka | Peppermint 34 Pen and Wig 35 The Claude 36 Cardiff Central Library 37 Motorpoint Arena

06

Don’t see your venue listed? Contact Us info@themmp.tv

38 The Old Library 39 The Yard 40 GH2 41 The Full Moon 42 Bogiez


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Fri | Gwe 2 Nov | Tach 7.15pm Eduardo Niebla ‘Brilliantissimo’ Electrifying flamenco jazz from this guitar virtuoso £12 £10 Dora Stoutzker Hall

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20

The MMP October 2012

squeezed in set between Last Mic Standing and On The Rocks for these acoustic, reggae, samba, indie, hip-hop blenders

C-Y-N-T pres. Redlight @ Clwb Ifor Bach, 10:30pm, £7* The house, garage and dubstep maestro waltzes in on a wave of acclaim for recent single ‘Lost In Your Love’ FRI 12TH OCTOBER

The Live Lounge @ The Live Lounge, 12:00pm, FREE* Live covers throughout the day: 12pm – Smokin’ Aces Duo; 4.30pm – The Little Giants; 7pm – The Spokes; 10pm – Supersaurus

The Birthday Suit / Shiny Tiger @ Buffalo Bar, 7:00pm, £9 / £7.50* Featuring Rod Jones of Idlewild, these intellectual Edinburgh indie merchants are supported by the Mountain Goats-esque Shiny Tiger

Three Pearls And A Piano @ Norwegian Church, 7:00pm, £10* A launch concert for Three Pearls And A Piano – a collection of West End and Broadway tunes Indian Classical Vocal Music w/ Pandit Sanjeev Abhyankar @ The Gate, 7:15pm, £15 / £11* Abhyankar, a Hindustani classical music maestro, brings the traditional sound of India to Roath in Cardiff

Anberlin @ The Great Hall 2, 7:30pm, £TBC* Christian rockers hailing from Florida pop by to promote their sixth album, Vital

BBC National Orchestra of Wales @ St David’s Hall, 7:30pm, £27.50 - £10.00* Thomas Søndergård tackles the brooding grandeur of Sibelius’s Fifth Symphony and R. Strauss’s dazzling orchestral showpiece Till Eulenspiegel

Cantemus Chamber Choir and His Majesty’s Cornetts and Sackbuts @ Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, 7:30pm, £20 / £14* A celebration of the wonderful Venetian inspired music of the Renaissance and Baroque Peter And The Test Tube Babies @ Bogiez, 7:30pm, £8* Punk pathetique stalwarts offer up a show promising to take no prisoners

Top Shelf Jazz @ The Globe, 7:30pm, £6* The louche, up-tempo jazz of locally raised Top Shelf Jazz come back to their hometown for another sterling show Benny Sensus @ The Full Moon, 8:00pm, FREE* Alternative-acoustic from these Bristol-based bad-boys

Colum Regan + Support @ The Yard, 8:00pm, FREE* The Irish-Cardiff troubadour plays his covers set in the Brewery Quarter Gareth Potter @ Bacchus, 8:00pm, FREE* Gareth Potter plays a range of popular party tunes in Bacchus wine bar

Gypsy-Punk Discothèque: The Great Malarkey + Kilnaboy @ The Moon Club, 8:00pm, £3* Think Gogol Bordello on acid! The Keys @ The North

Star, 8:00pm, FREE* Blend of pop, traditional and world music from this touring act up on North Road – highly recommended Live Cover Bands @ O’Neills St. Mary Street, 9:00pm, FREE* The weekends at O’Neills are characterised by sweaty cover bands playing their hearts out

Live Cover Bands @ O’Neills Trinity Street, 9:00pm, FREE* Fill up on all the craic you can take with live covers in the smaller O’Neills Blues Dragon Session @ Cafe Jazz, 10:00pm, £4* Regular session of blues rock in the Saint Mary’s Street jazz cafe Come Grime With Me @ Undertone, 10:00pm, FREE* Brand new night with DJs throwing everything from garage to grime onto the sweaty dancefloor SAT 13TH OCTOBER

The Live Lounge @ The Live Lounge, 12:00pm, FREE* Live covers throughout the day: 12pm – Sion Russell Jones; 2.15pm – Chris Topliss; 4.30pm – Colum Regan; 7pm – Ant Lee

The Silver Factory @ Buffalo Bar, 7:00pm, £4* Signed to Elefant Records, this Leicester based troupe deploy melodic jangly rock as their primary weapon Elaine Morgan’s Circle of Fire @ The Minstrel Rooms, 7:30pm, £8* A journey through folk, blues, rock and jazz with vocals featuring as the main force – The Brwmys support

James Taylor Quartet @ The Globe, 7:30pm, £15* One of the finest Hammond players in the UK takes his well-established quartet on the road, Albany Road to be precise Jettblack + Guests @ Bogiez, 7:30pm, £8* Prize riff-bringers Jettblack showcase their high octane, kick-ass rock’n’roll Karnataka @ The Gate, 7:30pm, £15* Female fronted rock band approved by the likes of Bob Harris, Robert Plant and Porcupine Tree Mayday Parade @ The Great Hall 2, 7:30pm, £12.50* Pop-inflected punk rock coming all the way from Tallahassee, Florida – support from The Summer Set, The Cab and Natives

Leighton Jones @ The North Star, 8:00pm, FREE* He of the soulful larynx returns to North Star for a covers set Dan Le Sac & Friends @ Clwb Ifor Bach, 8:00pm, £12 / £9* While taking a break from his long-running, and awfully impressive, collaboration with Scroobius Pip, Dan Le Sac is not resting on his laurels. Touring in support of his ultra-chipper debut solo LP, Space Between The Words, this promises to be a remarkably special event. Get on in there. Dr Syntax + The Mouse Outfit + DJ Switch + Major Triadz @ The Moon Club, 8:00pm, £7* Starving Artists return with another night of

Bass & Hip Hop

Hannah Williams & The Tastemakers @ Gwdihw, 8:00pm, £3* Soulfully gifted group visit the lovely Gwdihw after support slots with Sharon Jones, Afrika Bambaataa and The Sugar Hill Gang

Kookamunga @ The Full Moon, 8:00pm, FREE* Get down and funky to the funkiest monkeys in town, followed by the Five Dollar Shake DJs til late

Live Music Saturday @ Pen & Wig, 8:00pm, FREE* Every Saturday brings a live act to the Pen & Wig Smokin’ Aces @ The Yard, 8:00pm, FREE* These aces are hot and smokin’ – catch their covers set over in The Yard

The Magic of Motown @ St David’s Hall, 8:00pm, £21.50 / £19.50* Ain’t no mountain high, ain’t no valley low, ain’t no river wide enough to keep this all-star Motown show from getting to you Live Music Saturday @ NosDa, 8:30pm, FREE* A night of live music and revelry in the lovely hostel on the banks of the Taff Live Cover Bands @ O’Neills St. Mary Street, 9:00pm, FREE* The weekends at O’Neills are characterised by sweaty cover bands playing their hearts out

Live Cover Bands @ O’Neills Trinity Street, 9:00pm, FREE* Fill up on all the craic you can take with live covers in the smaller O’Neills

City Bass feat. October @ Undertone, 10:00pm, £TBC* Julian ‘October’ Smith drops by to play his house, techno and space dub in the basement club SUN 14TH OCTOBER

The Live Lounge @ The Live Lounge, 12:00pm, FREE* Live covers throughout the day: 12pm – Tony Morley; 3.30pm – Open Mic Afternoon; 6.30pm – Marie; 8pm – Colum Regan; 10pm – Goose

Oxjam Oktoberfest @ 10 Feet Tall, 7:00pm, £6 / £5* A night featuring Beatbox Fozzy, The Keys, Palomino Party, Super Chango and many more acts – plus a raffle! We love raffles! Demented Are Go! @ Bogiez, 7:30pm, £10* The psychobilly lunatics and legends play their first Cardiff show in a long time

Mean Business: Pun Ra EP Launch + Jugganote @ The Moon Club, 7:30pm, £3* Powerful live performance, blending hip hop, DnB & alternative Sounds Touchstone / The Reasoning @ The Globe, 7:30pm, £12.50* Two of the UK’s most rapidly rising progressive / melodic hard rock acts in one mid-sized venue – hoorah!

A Shot of Jazz @ A Shot In The Dark, 8:00pm, £TBC* Regular jazz sessions in an intimate setting, featuring the best of local (and not so local) talent Alphabet Backwards @ Buffalo Bar, 8:00pm, £4 / £3* Joyous acoustic pop

from these Oxford based fun merchants with Charlie Says supporting

4.30pm – Robert Cross; 7pm – Tangent; 10pm – Face Value

Live Acoustic Duos @ O’Neills St. Mary Street, 9:00pm, FREE* Duelling acoustic guitars and vocals in the big O’Neills on St Mary’s St

Kickback Open Mic @ The Old Library, 7:00pm, FREE* Well-attended open mic on The Hayes

Thoby Davis @ The North Star, 8:00pm, FREE* Sir Davis of loop takes his talent and his tunes to North Road’s finely decored pub

MON 15TH OCTOBER

The Live Lounge @ The Live Lounge, 12:00pm, FREE* Live covers throughout the day: 12pm – Smokin’ Aces Duo; 4.30pm – Sion Russell Jones; 7pm – Chris Topliss; 10pm – Honey Fungus Band

Autumn Tea Dance @ Glanfa Stage, Wales Millennium Centre, 2:00pm, FREE* The Glanfa foyer area comes to life with dancers guided by the WNO and compere Alan Taylor Strange News From Another Star – Live Album Recording @ The Moon Club, 7:00pm, £5* The anarchic, loud, sweaty and intelligent rock of SNFAS is entertaining enough on its own. When you, the audience, get to form part of a live album recording then the dynamic shifts to somewhere in the extremes of cool. Get along to it, shout loud, and you’ll be on their next release. Special times. Contagious Open Mic @ Pen & Wig, 7:30pm, FREE* Weekly open mic in this charming old school pub American Idiot @ Wales Millennium Centre, 8:00pm, £37.50 - £20* This Green Day based musical stops by for a short run in the WMC featuring all of the pop-punkers hits from their infamous album

Funeral Suits @ Buffalo Bar, 8:00pm, £5 / £4* Alternative-rock from Ireland with French Wives and Fox Lane supporting Live Music Monday @ The Taf, 8:00pm, FREE* Weekly live music in the Union’s pub Welsh Traditional Music Session @ Cayo Arms, 8:45pm, FREE* Traditional Welsh folk tunes each week. Come and hear, play and sing Welsh tunes in an informal, friendly atmosphere The Monday Swing Quintet @ Cafe Jazz, 9:00pm, £3 / £2.50* Guitars, clarinet, flute, alto sax and vocals playing mainstream modern swing Rob Cross @ O’Neills St. Mary Street, 9:30pm, FREE* Mr Cross bears his soul and a mighty lot of tunesmithery for the big O’Neills patrons

Bump ‘n’ Grind @ Undertone, 10:00pm, £4 / £3* The likes of Coolio, Wu Tang Clan, TLC, The Fugees and Jurassic 5 ring out in this basement 90s hip-hop and R ‘n’ B party TUES 16TH OCTOBER

The Live Lounge @ The Live Lounge, 12:00pm, FREE* Live covers throughout the day: 12pm – Sion Russell Jones;

Prokofiev & Kalinnikov @ BBC Hoddinott Hall, 2:00pm, £11.50 / £8.50* Afternoon concert of the works of Profokiev and Kalinnikov with cello the predominant instrument

Fight the Bear + The Jooles + Hehfu + The Cradles @ The Moon Club, 7:30pm, FREE* Four great bands from Wales, England and Germany

Roddy Woomble @ The Gate, 7:30pm, £12* The Idlewild frontman brings his folkier, quieter solo material down for a special showing in Roath

Straight Lines @ CF10, 7:30pm, £6* The Pontypridd based big riffing pop-punkers play the intimate CF10 cafe

The Revival Tour 2012 @ Solus, 7:30pm, £14* Chuck Ragan, Cory Branan, Rocky Voltolato, Emily Barker and Jay Malinowksi revive the traditions of grassroots storytelling American Idiot @ Wales Millennium Centre, 8:00pm, £37.50 - £20* This Green Day based musical stops by for a short run in the WMC featuring all of the pop-punkers hits from their infamous album Axis Of @ Undertone, 8:00pm, £4* Alternative hardcore from Belfast with Flying F*ck Manouver, Elephants On Acid and Eskimo supporting Buffalo Birthday Party @ Buffalo Bar, 8:00pm, £5 / £4* Chap-hop MC Mr B. The Gentleman Rhymer is the guest of honour in this traditional birthday party affair celebrating 7 fine years of Buffalo in Cardiff

Open Mic w/ Rob Cross @ O’Neills Trinity Street, 8:30pm, FREE* Open mic night in the smaller O’Neills with Rob Cross as the more than capable host Vic Partridge Quartet @ Cafe Jazz, 8:30pm, £4 / £3.50* Preservation Jazz Society present this esteemed quartet into their weekly session

Jazz at Dempsey’s Sessions @ Dempsey’s, 9:00pm, £5 / £4* A wonderful array of jazz programmed by people who genuinely care about it – styles range from bebop, swing, modern, traditional, fusion and every jazz stop in between Smokin’ Aces @ O’Neills St Mary’s Street, 9:00pm, FREE* Covers of everything from AC/DC to Lady GaGa from these plucky Aces WED 17TH OCTOBER

The Live Lounge @ The Live Lounge, 12:00pm, FREE* Live covers throughout the day: 12pm – Tony Morley; 4.30pm – Tony Morley Duo; 7pm – Robert Cross Duo; 10pm – The Groovinators

Royal Welsh College Chamber Orchestra @ Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, 1:15pm, £7 / £5* The fine young wind soloists of RWCMD

take on Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante, that’s if Mozart wrote it… Welsh Music Prize Concert @ The Coal Exchange, 7:00pm, £10* Some of the nominees for the Welsh Music Prize 2012 congregate in the Coal Exchange to showcase their attention-grabbing wares

Academy of St Martin in the Fields: Joshua Bell @ St David’s Hall, 7:30pm, £33.00 - £5.00* Exceptional violinist Joshua Bell directs the Academy of St Martin in the Fields in Beethoven’s defiant First Symphony through to the northern landscapes of Mendelssohn’s Scottish Symphony and the folk-influenced Scottish Fantasy by Bruch Nine Black Alps / Castrovalva @ Clwb Ifor Bach, 7:30pm, £9* The grungey, alternative rock of Nine Black Alps waltzes in to Clwb with sights set on blowing your mind

Tafijah Allstars / Behind The Line @ Koko Gorillaz, 7:30pm, £3 / £2.50* Live, unsigned sessions in Koko Gorillaz with the dirty reggae of Tafijah Allstars headlining American Idiot @ Wales Millennium Centre, 8:00pm, £37.50 - £20* This Green Day based musical stops by for a short run in the WMC featuring all of the pop-punkers hits from their infamous album Anthony Lee Wickham’s Open Mic @ The North Star, 8:00pm, FREE* The uber-talented performer Wickham welcomes all to this North Road open mic John Godwin @ O’Neills Trinity Street, 8:00pm, FREE* Fantastic weekly acoustic set from the human jukebox!

Pangea @ The Moon Club, 8:00pm, £4* A student night filled to the brim with glorious live music Folk In The Owls Nest w/ Osian Rhys @ Gwdihw, 8:30pm, FREE* Folk In The Owls Nest is back again with Osian Rhys and his delicate and enchanting folk.

Open Mic Night @ NosDa, 8:30pm, FREE* A regular open mic night with great offers on Welsh branded drinks. Iechyd da! Colum Regan @ O’Neills St Mary’s Street, 9:00pm, FREE* Irish born troubadour Colum entertains us all with his covers

Jazz at Dempsey’s Sessions @ Dempsey’s, 9:00pm, £5 / £4* A wonderful array of jazz programmed by people who genuinely care about it – styles range from bebop, swing, modern, traditional, fusion and every jazz stop in between Jazz Attic Jam Session @ Cafe Jazz, 9:00pm, FREE* A cornerstone of the Cardiff jazz community, this session welcomes players to join the house band THURS 18TH OCTOBER

SWN Festival @ Various Locations, 12:00pm, £ Varies* The 6th year of Cardiff’s new music festival offers no let up in quality or


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quantity. The Cribs, The Blackout, Django Django, John Grant, Gallows, Richard James, Clock Opera are billed among an innumerate bundle of other talented souls. Plus, there are a broad array of other things to do like art exhibitions, indie record markets and getting horrendously drunk.

The Live Lounge @ The Live Lounge, 12:00pm, FREE* Live covers throughout the day: 12pm – Sion Russell Jones; 4.30pm – Tony Morley; 7pm – The Spokes; 10pm – Brainscape An Evening with Donald Maxwell @ Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, 7:00pm, £10 / £8 / £7.50* Internationally acclaimed baritone Donald Maxwell welcomes you to an evening of opera and song in the Sir Geraint Evans Recital Room

Claire Martin @ Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, 7:30pm, £12 / £10* A worldwide critically acclaimed jazz singer, and Radio 3 presenter…and recipient of an OBE for services to jazz! Joan Armatrading @ St David’s Hall, 7:30pm, £29.50* One of the World’s leading singer, songwriter and guitarists, Joan has been successful in almost every musical genre you can think of Last Mic Standing @ 10 Feet Tall, 7:30pm, £1* An open mic with a spirit of competition – it’s a knockout affair of heats comprising comedy, music and spoken word Mallory Knox @ CF10, 7:30pm, £6* The melodic rock of the Mallory Knox boys pops by into the Union’s cafe venue

American Idiot @ Wales Millennium Centre, 8:00pm, £37.50 - £20* This Green Day based musical stops by for a short run in the WMC featuring all of the pop-punkers hits from their infamous album Andy Huntley @ The Yard, 8:00pm, FREE* Live covers take over one of the Brewery Quarter’s fine drinkeries Clic Cardiff Open Mic @ Rococo, 8:00pm, FREE* The only open mic in Cardiff with an in-house baby grand for all to use! There’s also a featured band and a free beer for every performer!

Jazz Night @ The North Star, 8:00pm, FREE* Weekly dose of jazz in North Road’s premier, best decked out night spot Open Mic w/ Box Fort @ Owain Glyndwr, 8:00pm, FREE* Regular weekly open mic hosted by the acoustic talents of Box Fort

Swn Festival Wristband Exchange @ The Full Moon, 8:00pm, FREE* Come get your Swn Festival wristbands and while you’re there, check out some of the acoustic acts No Sweat are putting on The Music Box @ Bacchus, 8:00pm, FREE* Free night comprising resident musicians, special guests and cocktail / tapas offers

Nick Knock by CF5 @ Koko Gorillaz, 8:30pm, FREE* Popular jam night featuring a houseband with a full backline setup, hosted by the gifted talents of Nick Walker The Jim Jam Session @ The Claude, 8:30pm, FREE* A sweet open mic night with a special guest band as the icing on the cake John Gibbon with Chris Biscoe @ Cafe Jazz, 9:00pm, £6 / £5* Cardiff Jazz Society present fine modern jazz led by saxophone / clarinet

Live Cover Bands @ O’Neills St. Mary Street, 9:00pm, FREE* The weekends at O’Neills are characterised by sweaty cover bands playing their hearts out FRI 19TH OCTOBER

SWN Festival @ Various Locations, 12:00pm, £ Varies* SWN Festival brings its annual jamboree to a selection of local venues – hundreds of musical acts, art exhibitions, stalls and everything else you can imagine – check the SWN programme for the daily timetables Dafydd Iwan: Cwm-Rhyd-y-Rhosyn @ Wales Millenium Centre, 12:00pm, £6* The Weston Studio hosts Dafydd Iwan singing some famous children songs The Live Lounge @ The Live Lounge, 12:00pm, FREE* Live covers throughout the day: 12pm – Tony Morley; 4.30pm – The Little Giants; 7pm – Daisy B; 10pm – Goose

American Idiot @ Wales Millenium Centre, 5:00pm, £39.50 - £16.50* Two showings of the Green Day based musical – 5:00pm and 8:30pm The October Evening @ Rumney Folk Club, 7:00pm, £3.50 / £1.50* Long established monthly evening of folk loveliness down in Rumney

Cardiff Philharmonic Orchestra 30th Birthday Concert @ St David’s Hall, 7:30pm, £20 -£5* Cardiff Philharmonic Orchestra celebrates St David’s Hall’s 30th Birthday with a programme of classics for all

Spit Like This @ Bogiez, 7:30pm, £5* Punk-glam cult heroes arrive in Bogiez, undoubtedly flipping the birds at all and sundry Twisted Wheel + Support @ The Globe, 7:30pm, £9* After Paul Weller support slots, the Mod favourites enter The Globe as part of their Do It Again tour

Andy Huntley @ The North Star, 8:00pm, FREE* Live covers played for your pleasure up in North Star Dafydd Iwan @ Wales Millenium Centre, 8:00pm, £12 - £8* Celebrating 50 years of performing, Iwan marches through his back catalogue in the Weston Studio Freeman Street + Support @ The Yard, 8:00pm, FREE* Original funk / soul band entertain the drinking masses in the Brewery Quarter Live Cover Bands @

O’Neills St. Mary Street, 9:00pm, FREE* The weekends at O’Neills are characterised by sweaty cover bands playing their hearts out

Babbajack @ Cafe Jazz, 10:00pm, £4* One of the most exciting blues, roots, folk outfits in the UK perform in Cafe Jazz SAT 20TH OCTOBER

SWN Festival @ Various Locations, 12:00pm, £ Varies* SWN Festival brings its annual jamboree to a selection of local venues – hundreds of musical acts, art exhibitions, stalls and everything else you can imagine – check the SWN programme for the daily timetables The Live Lounge @ The Live Lounge, 12:00pm, FREE* Live covers throughout the day: 12pm – Sion Russell Jones; 4.30pm – Chris Topliss; 7pm – S & M; 10pm – Minnie’s Chuff

American Idiot @ Wales Millennium Centre, 4:00pm, £39.50 - £20* The final two shows in American Idiot’s run in the WMC – one starts at 4pm, the other at 8pm Flodhest ‘The Flood Pony Speaks’ @ NosDa, 7:30pm, FREE* A night of spoken word, LIVEart, bands, DJs and artists in the hostel on the river Perfect Alibi – Pink Floyd Tribute @ The Globe, 7:30pm, £10* Another Pink Floyd tribute act wing their glorious way to The Globe

Live Music Saturday @ Pen & Wig, 8:00pm, FREE* Every Saturday brings a live act to the Pen & Wig Nicky Jordan Band @ The Yard, 8:00pm, FREE* Live covers for the weekend drinkers on St Mary Street

Noughts & Crosses / The Brass Monkeys @ The North Star, 8:00pm, FREE* Live covers up on North Road Swn Festival Wristband Exchange + Bad Juju @ The Full Moon, 8:00pm, FREE* Come get your wristbands in the company of the awesome band, Bad Juju Live Cover Bands @ O’Neills St. Mary Street, 9:00pm, FREE* The weekends at O’Neills are characterised by sweaty cover bands playing their hearts out

Live Cover Bands @ O’Neills Trinity Street, 9:00pm, FREE* Fill up on all the craic you can take with live covers in the smaller O’Neills SUN 21ST OCTOBER

SWN Festival @ Various Locations, 12:00pm, £ Varies* SWN Festival brings its annual jamboree to a selection of local venues – hundreds of musical acts, art exhibitions, stalls and everything else you can imagine – check the SWN programme for the daily timetables The Live Lounge @ The Live Lounge, 12:00pm, FREE* Live covers throughout the day: 12pm – Tony Morley; 3.30pm – Open Mic Afternoon; 6.30pm – Marie; 8pm – Colum Regan; 10pm –

Goose

SWN Festival Wristband Exchange + Esperanza @ The Full Moon, 5:00pm, FREE* A 9-piece Ska Band from Glasgow entertain those grabbing their Swn Festival wristbands Kathryn Williams @ The Glee Club, 7:30pm, £15* The Northern queen of acoustic folk visits Glee Club on the back of recent release ‘The Pond’

2 Piece Sweet @ The North Star, 8:00pm, FREE* The 2 Piece peeps play their sweet tunes to the assembled North Star drinkers A Shot of Jazz @ A Shot In The Dark, 8:00pm, £TBC* Regular jazz sessions in an intimate setting, featuring the best of local (and not so local) talent Live Acoustic Duos @ O’Neills St. Mary Street, 9:00pm, FREE* Duelling acoustic guitars and vocals in the big O’Neills on St Mary’s St

Sunday Jazz @ Chapter Arts Centre, 9:00pm, FREE* An evening of melodic acoustic jazz in the Caffi Bar with the Glen Manby Quartet MON 22ND OCTOBER

The Live Lounge @ The Live Lounge, 12:00pm, FREE* Live covers throughout the day: 12pm – Smokin’ Aces Duo; 4.30pm – Sion Russell Jones; 7pm – Chris Topliss; 10pm – Honey Fungus Band

Pi & Hash Present: Grown Up Music @ The Moon Club, 7:00pm, £3* A jam night of old school rock n roll

An Evening with Neil Sedaka @ St David’s Hall, 7:30pm, £45 / £40* The wise man was right after all, breaking up IS hard to do…

Contagious Open Mic @ Pen & Wig, 7:30pm, FREE* Weekly open mic in this charming old school pub

Eddi Reader @ The Glee Club, 7:30pm, £20* The former Fairground Attraction frontwoman takes her catalogue of solo material to The Glee Club Fearless Vampire Killers @ Clwb Ifor Bach, 7:30pm, £7* The theatrical alternative rock of these louchely dressed individuals is set to get Clwb all jaunty Live Music Monday @ The Taf, 8:00pm, FREE* Weekly live music in the Union’s pub Welsh Traditional Music Session @ Cayo Arms, 8:45pm, FREE* Traditional Welsh folk tunes each week. Come and hear, play and sing Welsh tunes in an informal, friendly atmosphere Rob Cross @ O’Neills St. Mary Street, 9:30pm, FREE* Mr Cross bears his soul and a mighty lot of tunesmithery for the big O’Neills patrons TUES 23RD OCTOBER

The Live Lounge @ The Live Lounge, 12:00pm, FREE* Live covers throughout the day: 12pm – Sion Russell Jones; 4.30pm – Robert Cross; 10pm – Goose

Clive Driskill-Smith @ St David’s Hall, 1:00pm, £6.50 / £5.50* One of the leading organists of his generation plays a selection of classics Bassplayers @ Gwdihw, 7:00pm, FREE* Monthly jam night for lovers of funk, electro, reggae and drum n bass

Kickback Open Mic @ The Old Library, 7:00pm, FREE* Well-attended open mic on The Hayes Fay Hield & The Hurricane Party @ St David’s Hall, 8:00pm, £13 / £12* Haunting and earthy British folk-music ensemble – with an accordion! Pas de Deux @ Chapter Arts Centre, 8:00pm, £10 / £8* Beyond the Border present this musical storytelling collaboration between Abbi Patrix and composer Linda Edjsoan John Scantlebury / Dave Smith @ Cafe Jazz, 8:30pm, £4 / £3.50* The style of 20s and 30s jazz is invoked at the Preservation Jazz Society weekly session

Open Mic w/ Rob Cross @ O’Neills Trinity Street, 8:30pm, FREE* Open mic night in the smaller O’Neills with Rob Cross as the more than capable host Jazz at Dempsey’s Sessions @ Dempsey’s, 9:00pm, £5 / £4* A wonderful array of jazz programmed by people who genuinely care about it – styles range from bebop, swing, modern, traditional, fusion and every jazz stop in between Smokin’ Aces @ O’Neills St Mary’s Street, 9:00pm, FREE* Covers of everything from AC/DC to Lady GaGa from these plucky Aces WED 24TH OCTOBER

The Live Lounge @ The Live Lounge, 12:00pm, FREE* Live covers throughout the day: 12pm – Tony Morley; 4.30pm – Tony Morley Duo; 7pm – Robert Cross Duo; 10pm – Face Value

Royal Welsh College Symphonic Brass @ Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, 1:15pm, £7 / £5* Symphonic Brass cuts loose with some of the most entertaining music ever written for brass Alice Cooper’s Halloween Night Of Fear @ Motorpoint Arena, 7:00pm, £42* The spooky faced Cooper flies in with Ugly Kid Joe and others as a special Halloween treat

Steve Reich’s Drumming @ St David’s Hall, 7:30pm, £16.50 / £14.50* Legendary New York minimalist Steve Reich presents a 90-minute journey for percussion and female voices which redefines Western music’s relationship with rhythm The Knox / Eskimo @ Koko Gorillaz, 7:30pm, £3 / £2.50* The Beat sound of young scamps The Knox are flanked by the icy charms of Eskimo in these unsigned sessions

Pangea @ The Moon Club, 8:00pm, £4* A student night filled to the brim with glorious live music

I Like Trains @ Buffalo Bar, 8:00pm, £10 / £9*

Brooding, orchestral alternative post-rock from Leeds. Renowned for their deeply conceptual releases and emphasis on the darkness of history, their live shows are noisy, disturbing affairs encapsulating the complexity of the human condition in an aural whirlwind. Well worth watching as they swoop through. James Kennedy’s Open Mic @ The North Star, 8:00pm, FREE* Open mic duties in the North Star taken on by James Kennedy John Godwin @ O’Neills Trinity Street, 8:00pm, FREE* Fantastic weekly acoustic set from the human jukebox!

Rude: A Ska Musical @ Rockin’ Chair, 8:00pm, TBC* Give It A Name Theatre returns with their sell-out ska musical, Rude. Travel back in time to 1980 and see Cardiff like you’ve never seen it before

Woodpecker Wooliams @ 10 Feet Tall, 8:00pm, £4* One-woman experimenter blending folk, drone and noise into a collection of mad, murderous songs – support from Andrew Paul Regan and Stacking Chairs

Open Mic Night @ NosDa, 8:30pm, FREE* ACregular open mic night with great offers on Welsh branded drinks. Iechyd da!M

Cardiff Tea Club @ Buffalo Bar, 9:00pm, FREE* Y Downstairs in Buffalo becomes an all out celebration of tea, cake and CM Tea reggae via the Cardiff Club DJs Colum Regan @ O’Neills MY St Mary’s Street, 9:00pm, FREE* Irish born troubadour Colum CY entertains us all with his covers

Jazz at Dempsey’s CMY Sessions @ Dempsey’s, 9:00pm, £5 / £4* A wonderful array ofKjazz programmed by people who genuinely care about it – styles range from bebop, swing, modern, traditional, fusion and every jazz stop in between Kathy Davies Quartet @ Cafe Jazz, 9:00pm, £5 / £4* From gypsy jazz to blues, swing to standards and more – a night of expect the unexpected jazz THURS 25TH OCTOBER

The Live Lounge @ The Live Lounge, 12:00pm, FREE* Live covers throughout The day: 12pm – Sion Russell Jones; 4.30pm – Tony Morley; 7pm – The Spokes; 10pm – Jammie and the Dodgers Raymond Burley @ Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, 1:15pm, £8 / £6* Raymond Burley brings all his insight, experience and gorgeous sound to bear on four centuries’ worth of masterpieces for solo guitar Last Mic Standing @ 10 Feet Tall, 7:30pm, £1* An open mic with a spirit of competition – it’s a knockout affair of heats comprising comedy, music and spoken word The Sensational 60s Experience @ St David’s Hall, 7:30pm, £21 - £17* A swinging line-up featuring The Tremeloes, Herman’s

C

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themmp.tv

2-4-1

USIC NEW M US @ BACCH

TAPAS 3 FOR ÂŁ7.50

COCKTAILS EVERY DAY 5-10PM

(FORMERLY CAI)

MONDAYS from 9pm Stitch and Bitch - Book Club - Spoken word poetry West African Drumming Workshops - Acoustic Nights Comedy Bingo - Lindy Hop Socials - Scrabble Club & a bit more THURSDAYS from 9pm Jam Nights - Hosted by Dirty Skanky Buskers & Tim Cronin FRIDAYS from 9pm The Finest Local DJ's Playing Rare Groove, Funk & The Classics SATURDAYS from 9pm Resident DJ from IBIZA - for real - DJ Haydn Jay soundcloud.com/haydnjay

Find out who guests this week @bacchuscardi bacchuscardi

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Hermits, The Ivy League and The Union Gap UK

Whistling Wind EP Launch @ The Moon Club, 7:30pm, £4* Harri Davies’ new band launch their brand new EP Blue Rose Code @ The Full Moon, 8:00pm, FREE* *Endearing, beautiful and well-crafted folk tunes from this Edinburgh born troubadour. Gathering plaudits from almost everywhere his feet take him, this looks to be a very special acoustic wonderland in the No Sweat pantheon of nights. Balkan Mumbo Jumbo w/ Buffo’s Wake @ Gwdihw, 8:00pm, £3* Storming gypsy-folk music with dark and twisting melodies and intense breaks – support from Ghouls and Beijing Bandits

Clic Cardiff Open Mic @ Rococo, 8:00pm, FREE* The only open mic in Cardiff with an in-house baby grand for all to use! There’s also a featured band and a free beer for every performer!

Jazz Night @ The North Star, 8:00pm, FREE* Weekly dose of jazz in North Road’s premier, best decked out night spot Jimmy’s Heavy Side Layer @ The Yard, 8:00pm, FREE* Whatever Jimmy’s done wrong, he surely didn’t deserve Open Mic w/ Box Fort @ Owain Glyndwr, 8:00pm, FREE* Regular weekly open mic hosted by the acoustic talents of Box Fort Rude: A Ska Musical @ Rockin’ Chair, 8:00pm, TBC* Give It A Name Theatre returns with their sell-out ska musical, Rude. Travel back in time to 1980 and see Cardiff like you’ve never seen it before Seconds From Ruin @ Undertone, 8:00pm, £3* Local rock showcase featuring the promising Seconds From Ruin alongside Dodgem-X and Luke Elford

Sinfonia Cymru ‘Cornucopia’ @ Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, 8:00pm, £12 / £10* Britain’s foremost Horn player, David Pyatt, joins the orchestra in a programme celebrating the instrument featuring Mozart, Mathias and Haydn The Music Box @ Bacchus, 8:00pm, FREE* Free night comprising resident musicians, special guests and cocktail / tapas offers

Nick Knock by CF5 @ Koko Gorillaz, 8:30pm, FREE* Popular jam night featuring a houseband with a full backline setup, hosted by the gifted talents of Nick Walker The Jim Jam Session @ The Claude, 8:30pm, FREE* A sweet open mic night with a special guest band as the icing on the cake Live Cover Bands @ O’Neills St. Mary Street, 9:00pm, FREE* The weekends at O’Neills are characterised by sweaty cover bands playing their hearts out

Nigel Price Organ Trio @ Cafe Jazz, 9:00pm, £6 /

£5*Led by one of Britain’s finest guitarists and featuring a real-deal organist in their ranks, these chaps are one of the country’s premier jazz ensembles. Expect some hard swinging, deep-flowing bebop lines performed with considerable aplomb from the Ronnie Scott’s regulars. Smokin’ Aces @ O’Neills Trinity Street, 9:00pm, FREE* The rocky covers of the Aces fill the O’Neills music room C-Y-N-T pres. Dusky @ Clwb Ifor Bach, 10:30pm, £7 / £5* Dusky bring their much vaunted blend of house, garage and techno to Cardiff FRI 26TH OCTOBER

The Live Lounge @ The Live Lounge, 12:00pm, FREE* Live covers throughout the day: 12pm – Tony Morley; 4.30pm – The Little Giants; 7pm – Italics; 10pm – SixOneSeven

Presteigne Festival City Tour 2012 @ Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, 1:15pm, £8 / £6* Three virtuoso string players give Cardiff a first chance to hear what’s been happening in the borders with a Celtic take on the English pastoral tradition

Camberwell Composers’ Collective @ BBC Hoddinott Hall, 7:00pm, £9.50 / £7.50* The Camberwell Collective contains some of Britain’s most highly tipped composers – these pieces are arranged primarily for voice and trombone Silver/Back/Club @ Buffalo Bar, 7:00pm, £4* Described as deliciously atmospheric by BBC Radio Wales’ Adam Walton, this all Welsh line-up also features Weak(end) Arrows and The Shoots Evil Scarecrow + Guests @ Bogiez, 7:30pm, £5* Parody metal with a difference – it’s actually really good metal!

Terror @ CF10, 7:30pm, £TBC* Hardcore merchants visit the Union’s cafe for a quick wig out U2 Tribe @ The Globe, 7:30pm, £10* An authentic looking Bono, albeit in his youthful pomp, entertains the Roath crowds as part of this U2 tribute Bluegrass Discothèque @ The Moon Club, 8:00pm, £3* Random Canyon Growlers and Rail Road Bill play hard Driving traditional Bluegrass from Jackson Hole Gwenno @ Bacchus, 8:00pm, FREE* DJ Gwenno plays her range of quality party tunes for the wine bar crowd in Bacchus

Rock Factor / The Peeping Toms @ The Yard, 8:00pm, FREE* Rock covers to the factor of at least a thousand in the Brewery Quarter Rude: A Ska Musical @ Rockin’ Chair, 8:00pm, TBC* Give It A Name Theatre returns with their sell-out ska musical, Rude. Travel back in time to 1980 and see Cardiff like you’ve never seen it before

Salvation @ The North Star, 8:00pm, FREE* Cheeky and cheesy covers

from the practitioners of lively tunes, Salvation

The Hit Ups @ The Full Moon, 8:00pm, FREE* Alternative discodeath band The Hit Ups celebrate the fact that you’re going to be dead one day Live Cover Bands @ O’Neills St. Mary Street, 9:00pm, FREE* The weekends at O’Neills are characterised by sweaty cover bands playing their hearts out

Live Cover Bands @ O’Neills Trinity Street, 9:00pm, FREE* Fill up on all the craic you can take with live covers in the smaller O’Neills The Gas Station Bop @ Gwdihw, 9:00pm, £3* Teenage garage scuzzfest offering solid old rock n roll, garage rock, surf and rhythm and blues

Aperture pres. Black Sun Empire @ Clwb Ifor Bach, 10:00pm, £TBC* The Dutch trio of drum ‘n’ bass producers take their darkstep into the late night of Clwb Pat Grover & The Hawks @ Cafe Jazz, 10:00pm, £4* Laid back blues from this guitar wielding master and his backing band System 909: The Techno New Breed @ Undertone, 10:00pm, £8 - £6* Showcase of two bright UK techno talents – Mat Cooper and Ed Mackie – with the System 909 crew kicking it to the man SAT 27TH OCTOBER

The Live Lounge @ The Live Lounge, 12:00pm, FREE* Live covers throughout the day: 12pm – Sion Russell Jones; 2.15pm – Tangent; 5pm – Bespoke; 7pm – The Spokes; 10pm – Les Trois Tetes

Flipron / Little Arrow @ Buffalo Bar, 7:00pm, £4* Ramshackle, barrelhouse Britpop merchants with the stirring local support of Little Arrow capably backing them up HalloWonderWeen @ The Globe, 7:30pm, £7 / £5* Halloween themed show featuring the mega-tonne brass endowments of Wonderbrass playing the tunes

Huntress + Guests @ Bogiez, 7:30pm, £7* Thunder goddess Jill Janus brings her unparalleled four-octave range and lust for the occult as part of Huntress

Charlie Says @ Undertone, 8:00pm, £TBC* Local showcase curated by Charlie Says fresh from playing Noel Gallagher’s Flying Birds aftershow – also on the bill are rockers Colours Of One, Hark! A Shark! and Fingertrap Freakscene Vs Levitation: Steak + The Witches Drum + Ironbird @ The Moon Club, 8:00pm, £5* The Moon Club’s favourite nights battle it out for your pleasure!

Hello Camaro / Noughts & Crosses @ The Yard, 8:00pm, FREE* Alternative rock 5 piece from Pontypridd in the Brewery Quarter this Saturday Jake & The Jellyfish @

The Full Moon, 8:00pm, FREE* Folk, punk and reggae from Bristol and Leeds. If they sting you, get your mate to pee on it

Live Music Saturday @ Pen & Wig, 8:00pm, FREE* Every Saturday brings a live act to the Pen & Wig Rock Factor @ The North Star, 8:00pm, FREE* The rockin’ folks of Rock Factor bring their range of covers to the North Road pub Rude: A Ska Musical @ Rockin’ Chair, 8:00pm, TBC* Give It A Name Theatre returns with their sell-out ska musical, Rude. Travel back in time to 1980 and see Cardiff like you’ve never seen it before Josh Elton @ NosDa, 8:30pm, FREE* The acoustic talents of Josh Elton entertain the hostel dwellers down in Riverside

Buffalo Ghostbusters Party @ Buffalo Bar, 9:00pm, FREE before 11pm* Fancy dress Halloween party with all the thrills, scares and frights you can take – plus a surprise special guest will be dropping in too Live Cover Bands @ O’Neills St. Mary Street, 9:00pm, FREE* The weekends at O’Neills are characterised by sweaty cover bands playing their hearts out

Live Cover Bands @ O’Neills Trinity Street, 9:00pm, FREE* Fill up on all the craic you can take with live covers in the smaller O’Neills LoveTempo w/ Matty J (Tirk) @ Gwdihw, 9:00pm, £3* Matty J is a resident DJ for East London label Tirk Records known as much for slow burning warm-ups as causing peak time disco destruction SUN 28TH OCTOBER

The Live Lounge @ The Live Lounge, 12:00pm, FREE* Live covers throughout the day: 11pm – Tony Morley; 2.30pm – Open Mic Afternoon; 6.30pm – Marie; 8pm – Colum Regan; 10pm – Goose

Amy MacDonald @ St David’s Hall, 7:30pm, £27.50 - £17.50* The singersongwriter comes to Cardiff following the release of her new album Life in a Beautiful Light Dean Friedman @ The Gate, 7:30pm, £20* Highly regarded American singer-songwriter plays hits from his three decade career as he tours via Roath’s The Gate

Every Time I Die @ Solus, 7:30pm, £14* Long established metalcore band from Buffalo visit the Student’s Union
Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry @ The Glee Club, 7:30pm, £24* A bona fide legend in the world of reggae and dub, Perry’s eccentric figure looms large over his genre. Aged 76 he visits Cardiff for a one-off show in which he will work through his admirable back catalogue and provide a chance for us all to see an upper echelon music maker. A Shot of Jazz @ A Shot In The Dark, 8:00pm, £TBC* Regular jazz sessions in an intimate setting, featuring the best of local (and not so

local) talent

Knifeworld / The Fierce & The Dead / Trojan Horse @ Clwb Ifor Bach, 8:00pm, £7 / £5* A trio of acclaimed progressive rock treats fly into Clwb for the evening

Motown Charity Party @ Buffalo Bar, 8:00pm, £TBC* Fundraising night featuring top Motown tunes, raising the cash for Local Youth Services Schwervon (NY) + Landslides + Bear Be Good @ The Moon Club, 8:00pm, £4* New York Grungers, Schwervon hit The Moon with two of our favourite locals

Thoby Davis @ The North Star, 8:00pm, FREE* The charming tunes of Mr Davis are set to entrance the North Road drinkers Live Acoustic Duos @ O’Neills St. Mary Street, 9:00pm, FREE* Duelling acoustic guitars and vocals in the big O’Neills on St Mary’s St MON 29TH OCTOBER

The Live Lounge @ The Live Lounge, 12:00pm, FREE* Live covers throughout the day: 12pm – Smokin’ Aces Duo; 4.30pm – Sion Russell Jones; 7pm – Honey Fungus; 10pm – Honey Fungus Band

Ruins Will Rise + Awaken The Dreamer + This Concept + More TBC @ The Moon Club, 7:00pm, £5* Six great alternative rock bands for a fiver!

Contagious Open Mic @ Pen & Wig, 7:30pm, FREE* Weekly open mic in this charming old school pub

Don McLean @ St David’s Hall, 7:30pm, £33 / £25* Legendary American pie fan Don McLean returns for a UK concert tour to celebrate his 40th anniversary in the music business The Piano @ BBC Hoddinott Hall, 7:30pm, £11.50 / £8.50* BBC National Orchestra of Wales presents a gala concert bringing to a close BBC Radio 3′s autumn piano focus

Live Lounge, 12:00pm, FREE* Live covers throughout the day: 12pm – Sion Russell Jones; 4.30pm – Robert Cross; 7pm – Chris Topliss; 10pm – Face Value

Australian String Quartet @ St David’s Hall, 1:00pm, £6.50 / £5.50* The Australian String Quartet cross the equator and present us with some of the finest works for strings Juffage + Conformist + Shiny Tiger A One-Man-Act Special @ The Moon Club, 7:00pm, £4* 3 Bands – 3 people! Special one-man-act night in The Moon

Kickback Open Mic @ The Old Library, 7:00pm, FREE* Well-attended open mic on The Hayes Sergei Nakariakov @ Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, 7:30pm, £12 / £10* In this recital with pianist Maria Meerovitch, Nakariakov charts heartfelt romantic miniatures and explosive virtuoso showpieces The Wedding Present @ The Gate, 7:30pm, £13* The legendary John Peel favourites are still going strong, bringing their whirlwind indie rock to The Gate

Dan Amor / Maddie Jones @ 10 Feet Tall, 8:00pm, £5 / £4* Delicate folk-pop with tinges of 60s and plenty of lush harmonies Jazz Cafe @ The Gate Arts Centre, 8:00pm, £3 / £2* Jam session in The Gate’s Mad Hatters Cafe Bar hosted by Julian Martin

Richard Durrant in Concert @ St David’s Hall, 8:00pm, £13 / £12* Classical and Spanish guitarist Richard Durrant presents guitar-led stories and music Rude: A Ska Musical @ Rockin’ Chair, 8:00pm, TBC* Give It A Name Theatre returns with their sell-out ska musical, Rude. Travel back in time to 1980 and see Cardiff like you’ve never seen it before

Live Music Monday @ The Taf, 8:00pm, FREE* Weekly live music in the Union’s pub

Dick Williams Six @ Cafe Jazz, 8:30pm, £4 / £3.50* More classic era jazz presented by the Preservation Jazz Society

Welsh Traditional Music Session @ Cayo Arms, 8:45pm, FREE* Traditional Welsh folk tunes each week. Come and hear, play and sing Welsh tunes in an informal, friendly atmosphere

Jazz at Dempsey’s Sessions @ Dempsey’s, 9:00pm, £5 / £4* A wonderful array of jazz programmed by people who genuinely care about it – styles range from bebop, swing, modern, traditional, fusion and every jazz stop in between

Rude: A Ska Musical @ Rockin’ Chair, 8:00pm, TBC* Give It A Name Theatre returns with their sell-out ska musical, Rude. Travel back in time to 1980 and see Cardiff like you’ve never seen it before

Jelly Roll Jones @ Cafe Jazz, 9:00pm, FREE* Old time jug band/hokum blues from the 20s and 30s featuring guitar, banjo, double bass, washboard and harmonica Rob Cross @ O’Neills St. Mary Street, 9:30pm, FREE* Mr Cross bears his soul and a mighty lot of tunesmithery for the big O’Neills patrons TUES 30TH OCTOBER

The Live Lounge @ The

Open Mic w/ Rob Cross @ O’Neills Trinity Street, 8:30pm, FREE* Open mic night in the smaller O’Neills with Rob Cross as the more than capable host

Smokin’ Aces @ O’Neills St Mary’s Street, 9:00pm, FREE* Covers of everything from AC/DC to Lady GaGa from these plucky Aces WED 31ST OCTOBER

The Live Lounge @ The Live Lounge, 12:00pm, FREE* Live covers throughout the day: 12pm – Tony Morley; 4.30pm – Tony Morley Duo; 7pm – Robert Cross Duo; 10pm – The Groovinators

RWCMD Wind Orchestra


‘Ghostbusters’ @ Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, 1:15pm, £7 / £5* Halloween themed performance charting Mussorgsky, Dukas and many other spooky classical works – performances at 1.15pm and 3.30pm Howling at The Full Moon Halloween Party @ The Full Moon, 5:00pm, FREE* Beware of ghosts, ghouls and monster mash-ups!

Brothers & Bones + Support @ The Moon Club, 7:30pm, £6* Think Mumford & Sons meets The Dead Weather The Rude ‘em Outs / When Worlds Collide @ Koko Gorillaz, 7:30pm, £3 / £2.50* Brass fuelled ska with more than a few hints of rock and roll thrown in for good measure Anthony Lee Wickham’s Open Mic @ The North Star, 8:00pm, FREE* The uber-talented performer Wickham welcomes all to this North Road open mic John Godwin @ O’Neills Trinity Street, 8:00pm, FREE* Fantastic weekly acoustic set from the human jukebox!

Joshua James @ 10 Feet Tall, 8:00pm, £8 / £7* A modern incarnation of the greats, such as Dylan and Young, James treks through folk, country, world and Southern rock without skipping a beat – support from The Skunk Boy Project Oxjam Halloween @ Gwdihw, 8:00pm, £TBC* A spooky line-up of live music that consists of Jemma Roper, Wicket, Shiny Tiger and Fire Wardens, plus DJs and prizes for the best costume Rude: A Ska Musical @ Rockin’ Chair, 8:00pm, TBC* Give It A Name Theatre returns with their sell-out ska musical, Rude. Travel back in time to 1980 and see Cardiff like you’ve never seen it before

Open Mic Night @ NosDa, 8:30pm, FREE* A regular open mic night with great offers on Welsh branded drinks. Iechyd da! Chico Chica @ Cafe Jazz, 9:00pm, £4 / £3* Vocal Latin-jazz band offers up a multi-lingual collection of original songs

Colum Regan @ O’Neills St Mary’s Street, 9:00pm, FREE* Irish born troubadour Colum entertains us all with his covers Jazz at Dempsey’s Sessions @ Dempsey’s, 9:00pm, £5 / £4* A wonderful array of jazz programmed by people who genuinely care about it – styles range from bebop, swing, modern, traditional, fusion and every jazz stop in between Spar Warz Halloween Party @ Buffalo Bar, 9:00pm, £TBC* Another Halloween party in Buffalo with the Spar Warz team taking over to celebrate things bumping in the night

Clubnights

themmp.tv

Weekends At Cafe Jazz @ Cafe Jazz, 8:00pm*Resident DJ and great music from the 1950’s up to the present

Clubnights of the month

MONDAYS

Bump ‘n’ Grind @ Undertone, 1st & 15th October*The basement club is taken over by DJs firmly intent on bringing the finest hip-hop and R&B tunes direct from the decks to your dancing feet. Don’t resist it, give in and let the smooth licks take you direct into the early hours. Trojan Boss Sound @ Rockin Chair, 7:00pm, FREE*Jamaican, ska, reggae and funk. Funk yes.

Buffalo Live @ Buffalo Bar, 8:00pm*Live music from bands and DJs. Late Night Live @ 10 Feet Tall, 8:00pm, £varies*Two floors of entertainment, chart hits and the latest bar favourites

Mindie @ Peppermint, 8:00pm*Fancy a bit of indie/Britpop? Then get on down...

Salsa Classes @ The Owain Glyndwr, 8:00pm*Get those hips gyrating at these weekly classes.

Hangover Cure @ Mocka Lounge, 8:00pm, FREE*What it says on the tin really. Go and massage that sore head! Ctrl ALT Del @ Solus, 10:00pm, £2*Eclectic array of genres in this one size fits all club night in the Union

The Capital’s Favourite Monday Night @ GLAM, 10:00pm, FREE*Full of outrageous drink deals and killer dancing tunes.

Live DJ @ The Live Lounge, 11:00pm, FREE*Taking you through until 4am with an eclectic mix of singalong tunes and dancefloor anthem. TUESDAYS

10 Feet Live @ 10 Feet Tall, 8:00pm, £varies*New music and party tunes in the bar until 4am! Open Mic Night and Karaoke @ WOW Bar, 8:00pm*Your chance to get on stage and show the world your talent.

Salsa Classes @ Live Lounge, 8:00pm*Come and learn some sensual Salsa at a top venue. Relax and Unwind @ Mocka Lounge, 9:00pm*

Loosen up after a stressful opening to the week.

Revive @ Solus, 10:00pm*The best party classics from your early musical years in the Union

Two Damn Glam @ GLAM, 10:00pm*Expect chart anthems and dancefloor fillers.

DroneBoy Industries Hella Party @ Clwb Ifor Bach, 10:00pm, FREE* Party bass noises showcased from early hip-hop to dubstep to trap to d ‘n’ b.

Live DJ @ The Live Lounge, 11:00pm, FREE* Taking you through until 4am with an eclectic mix of singalong tunes and dancefloor anthem. WEDNESDAYS

WOMP @ The Moon Club, Every Wednesday*New club night in the Womanby Street venue offering a late night combo of beats and bass - styles range from electro, to DnB, to dubstep to jungle to house to electroswing to pretty much every other cool sounding thing you could imagine. What are you waiting for? Blender @ Buffalo Bar, 8:00pm, £varies* Fashionable midweek hangout with great tunes and great people. Bolt From The Blue @ 10 Feet Tall, 8:00pm, FREE* Indie, pop, electronic & new music over 2 floors!

Cocktail Heaven @ Mocka Lounge, 9:00pm*Two words that go hand in hand. Make mine a White Russian.

Cookies ‘n Cream @ So-Lo, 9:00pm*Student night featuring incredible discounts with an NUS card. Wowzer.

The Lash @ Solus, 9:00pm*Playing the best chart, electro, R&B and a dirty little bit of dubstep all mixed by resident DJ, Scott Kirby

Prophecy - Future Jungle @ 48 Below, 9.30pm*Old school jungle rhythms meet new school production techniques. Expect battles, competitions and free giveaways. WOMP @ The Moon Club, 10:00pm*One Mission and Traffic combine to provide a broad church of dance tunes – expect electro, drum ‘n’ bass, jungle, house and much more

Listen Up! @ Clwb Ifor Bach, 10:00pm*Cardiff’s longest running indie night. Always full to the rafters, enjoy current hits, motown classic and indie anthems. Live DJ @ The Live Lounge, 11:00pm, FREE*Taking you through until 4am with an eclectic mix of singalong tunes and dancefloor anthem. THURSDAYS

Armageddon @ The Old Library, 8:00pm*Cardiff’s latest, greatest live rock and metal night.

On The Rocks @ 10 Feet Tall, 8:00pm, FREE*Rock ‘n Roll, alternative mash-ups, guitar anthems and party riffs until the sun comes up!

Mixtape @ Peppermint, 8:00pm*Eclectic mix of old-skool, hip-hop, breaks, garage, dubstep and DNB

Mocka Lounge Thursday @ Mocka Lounge, 9:00pm*Chilled out R&B and House music gallore. Signature @ Buffalo Bar, 9:00pm, £varies*Experimental, electronic, new music, leftfield, dubstep, hiphop, DJs, live acts and a fine array of delicious cocktails.

Twisted by Design @ Dempseys, 9:00pm*The usual, broad mix of tunes gracing every genre under the sun. C-Y-N-T @ Clwb Ifor Bach, 10:30pm, £4*The original midweek rave keeps pumping out the electro, dubstep, d ‘n’ b and techno

Live DJ @ The Live Lounge, 11:00pm, FREE*Taking you through until 4am with an eclectic mix of singalong tunes and dancefloor anthem. FRIDAYS

Aperture presents Black Sun Empire @ Clwb Ifor Bach, 26th October *Aperture is renowned for pulling in the very best drum ‘n’ bass talent from around the world and this one is no different. The Dutch trio of producers have been knocking out the neurofunk since 1994 to universal acclaim. Expect lots of hardcore partying to utterly banging tunes. Propaganda @ GLAM, 10:00pm, £4*Two rooms of the most popular, dancefloor anthems with cheap drinks along the way. Gigantic DJs @ The Full Moon, 7:00pm, FREE*Everything you can imagine, from bebop to trip hop to motown to jazz to ska and electro! Funky Fridays @ So-Lo, 7:00pm, £3 / £5 after 9*Guest DJs making you feel funky on a Friday. Simple.

The Resurrection @ The Old Library, 8:00pm, FREE*Playing non-stop supersonic mixes of indie, Brit-pop and alternative tunes.

Axe the DJ @ NosDa, 8:00pm, £TBC*A weekly event where the bartenders choose the tunes. Anything from funk to fusion to German techno metal. Smash Disco @ Buffalo Bar, 9:00pm, £4 / £3*Dance your drunken

night away to beats that are all killer no filler Fancy Footwork @ 10 Feet Tall, 8:00pm, FREE b4 11pm, £5 / £4 after*Classic funk, soul, old school disco, party mash-ups

Milgi @ Milgi’s, 8:00pm*Celebrate a collection of world music played by in-house DJs. Therapy @ Glam, 9:00pm*Your weekly dosage of spine shaking beats, bright lights and sticky dancefloors

Delete @ Clwb Ifor Bach, 10:00pm*Pushing the barriers of house music forever onwards

The Furnace @ Bogiez, 10:00pm, FREE*Bringing the very best mix of old to new rock, metal, punk and alternative! Anything goes as long as it’s rawwwkk.

Xerox @ Clwb Ifor Bach, 10:30pm, £4*Downstairs in a much loved venue, the party jukebox keeps things a kicking

Live DJ @ The Live Lounge, 11:00pm, FREE*Taking you through until 4am with an eclectic mix of singalong tunes and dancefloor anthem. SATURDAYS

Juju Nations feat. Laid Blak @ Gwdihw, 6th October*Alongside the uncompromisingly danceable strains of afrobeat and funk oozing from the speakers that is Juju Nations raison d’etre, this little party also has the live sounds of heavyweight reggae romper-stompers Laid Blak to kickstart the heaving, sweaty juggernaut of a night. Sweet Chocolate @ So-Lo, 7:00pm, *Old Skool R’n’B alongside Berlin classics, would you believe it? Vanity - It’s All About You @ GLAM, 8:00pm*Two floors of the hottest R&B, hip hop, dance and all in between

Five Dollar Shake @ The Full Moon, 8:00pm, FREE*All sorts, from bebop, funk and soul to hip hop, dancehall and electro swing! Me And You Club @ 10 Feet Tall, 8:00pm, FREE*An unruly rock ‘n’ roll party til the early hours with the coolest cats in town

Milgi @ Milgi’s, 8:00pm, FREE*Every Saturday, hear world and dance tracks. Try their cocktails, too.

Twisted by Design @ Dempsey’s, 8:00pm*One of Cardiff’s longest running alternative nights, every fortnight. Liven Up Your

Plug Me In @ Bacchus, 8:00pm, FREE*Weekly night of banging house tunes with special guests popping in to provide their own take Beatbox Ballroom @ Buffalo Bar, 8:00pm*Weekly dose of soul and hip-hop.

Buzz / Berlin Returns! @ So-Lo, 9:00pm*All the great old school R&B, hip-hop tunes from the ‘80s and ‘90s. Comeplay @ Solus, 9:00pm, £5 / £4*Party pointing Saturday night comprised of chart, dance, pop, rock and funk music

Swing and Rock ‘n’ Roll @ The Bunkhouse, 10:00pm*DJ Ben Potter brings the lushness of the swing and rock era back to modernity

3 Floor Party @ Clwb Ifor Bach, 10:00pm*Three floors of mouthwatering Motown, soul and more with Vinyl Vendettas on the top floor. Bogiez Saturday Mayhem @ Bogiez, 10:00pm, FREE*Intensely chaotic rock night down in Bogiez – bring the mosh!

Live DJ @ The Live Lounge, 11:00pm, FREE*Taking you through until 4am with an eclectic mix of singalong tunes and dancefloor anthem. SUNDAYS

Sunday Social @ 10 Feet Tall, 8:00pm*Chill out and socialise ahead of a new week to alternative party tunes! Mocka Lounge Sundays @ Mocka Lounge, 8:00pm*Wind down a chaotic week with a visit to Mocka The Hop @ Buffalo Bar, 8:00pm*A killer blend of rock’n’roll, swing, jive, psych & alt classic anthems

Sunday Nite Chillax @ Bar Icon, 11:00pm, FREE*Chill out, max out, act out all cool. Or simply chillax at this fine establishment.

Live DJ @ The Live Lounge, 11:00pm, FREE*Taking you through until 4am with an eclectic mix of singalong tunes and dancefloor anthem.

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26

The MMP October 2012

Reviews Albums Singles Demos

Dragon Era Volume 2

3*

Flitting gleefully between eclectic styles - foundsound, glitch, jungle, breakbeat and dubstep all being covered - this DIY electronic compilation can feel a bit schizophrenic at points. Nevertheless, everything here is underlined by a late-night underground aesthetic, be it the kind you’d find partying in a dingy club or the kind that’s high as a wizard, lodged deep in a sofa. In the former category, you can include BMNKY’s ‘Halive’, Bunty Chunx’s ‘Mind Rubber’, as well as the striking ‘Requnoize’ by Bassplayers; whereas Leone’s ‘Strwberries’n’cream’ takes a more chilled out vibe. Best of all is Little Eris’ ‘So Many Nights’ which, with its vocal line, offers more of a direct emotional kick while still giving ample opportunity to throw some sexy shapes. Interesting stuff. SMR

soundcloud.com/dragon-era

Bridges Paws EP

Spillers pick of the month Race Horses Furniture

4*

The follow up to 2010’s Goodbye Falkenberg is arguably one of this year’s most eagerly anticipated Welsh releases and, in all honesty, it’s not hard to see why. The crudely produced and threadbare style of their debut has evolved into what can only be described as slick, sharp and catchy pop music rich with layers of synthesisers, guitars and airy harmonies littered throughout. Fashioned in the same mould as 80’s pop icons The Smiths with more than a hint of 90’s Britpop thrown in (not to mention a delightful dash of psychedelia so often prevalent in Welsh indie music) Furniture is an enjoyable and addictive release that rivals the artistic talents of many of Race Horses’ more established contemporaries. Does anyone have Radio 1’s number..? JS

racehorsesmusic.com

3*

www.bridgesofficial.com Home Away From Home EP

3*

This Cardiff foursome are unremittingly unconventional, and self-released EP Home Away From Home an interesting proposition for listeners. Songs are frenetic and lively, thanks mostly to Patrick Heery’s energetic basslines, and Ruth Morris’ one-woman saxophone quartet lets ‘King of Hearts’ swell with near-Radiohead brass mastery and gloom. Richard Jackson’s vocals are at worst a little safe and at best worn ragged, phasing and meandering through those of his bandmates wonderfully in opener ‘One on One’. All that detracts from the beautiful mess is some ear-wrenchingly rigid percussion - computerised rather than live drummer Kit Denison - which robs some songs of drive and direction. It’s a reassuringly self-sufficient effort, though, and there’s plenty here to make you hopeful of what’s to come. LH

albatrossarchive.com

Gathering Dusk

4*

Huw M’s second full-length release is a thoroughly pleasant listening experience. The troubadour has enlisted the help of a number of talented musicians, with his songs gaining new life through expanded instrumentation. ‘Dyma Lythyr’ exploits them particularly, with Huw’s Welsh gutturals held up by a wall of bouncing bows and picked piano strings and interspersed by Bethan Reynolds’ gently affirmative vocals. Babushka, Wake Me features the funky addition of a Hammond organ and bombastic bassline, and Sufjan Stevens might be proud of the ambling interaction between piano and banjo on ‘Hide Behind You’, as might he be of the song’s frank, if fragile, lyrics. Gathering Dust lulls and soothes rather than shocking or rousing the listener, and whilst at times it’s unadventurous it’s resoundingly comfortable. LH

huwm.bandcamp.com

Way to shoot yourself in the foot. The intro and sparse fillers of opening track Bearpit are a clunky, disproportionate mess rather than an enticement. Their indulgence in disjointed percussion is also apparent in Hunt In Packs, yet this is a far more promising track. With a catchy indie pop riff hooking you from the start, they compensate with a variety of interesting rejoinders and a thoroughly convincing Luke Pritchard vocal. Lofty ambitions become apparent in finale Hollow; with belting wails in the style of The Futureheads, they clearly have sights on stadiums. Real talent shines within the breaks, which are aptly placed and filled with the kind of unique solos that make the ears prick up. A little work, a little refinement needed. DG

Albatross Archive

Huw M

Ataraxis Vibration Ataraxis Vibration EP

3*

Ataraxis Vibration are a refreshing listen in a swagger-pregnant rock music scene. Their debut EP’s tracks are treated and produced with a deftness often overlooked in their contemporaries: though guitarist Adam Kowalski Healey’s heavilyladen licks are ground out with the same boozy fuzz as Slash’s, they are given space to resound and be properly heard. The barnstorming ‘Eagles’ lends him the most room, and Dave Growcott’s sympathetic drums are just intrusive enough to be interesting. Uvonji Uzele’s vocals carry well above the arrangement but crucially reveal a lot of space underneath, and tracks like opener ‘Beyond the Border’ disappointingly empty. The trio have the beginnings of a truly unique sound, it’s true, but are in need of some support to make it a reality. LH

ataraxisvibration.co.uk

Fjords

Dead Diamonds EP

3*

Cardiff electro-rockers Fjords seem to be edging closer and closer to ‘their sound’ following on from some promising early tracks. The EP opener, Russian Doll, piques the interest, creating a particularly memorable tune with a great chorus. Across the EP as a whole there’s a strong synth edge, with something of an 80s vibe coming in on occasion and tracks like Shinkuku erring on the theatrical side vocally all of which adds an extra level of depth. Lyrically the EP feels a little overly reliant on rhymes and cliché but it’s the resolute melodies that carry Fjords through here. For the most part this is catchy, poppy and enjoyable enough that you’ll almost certainly remember the tunes on their own merit. EG

soundcloud.com/wearefjords


themmp.tv

Heavy On The Ride

Delaying The Inevitable EP

3*

Over the past decade, Wales has had a real knack for producing quality on the heavier side of rock and Swansea three piece Heavy On The Ride continue this fine form with a determinedly gritty debut EP. Kicking off with slowly building instrumental ‘On Course’, the four tracks deliver a full blown, conquering sound that packs less a punch, more a knockout blow. The highlight track, ‘First In Last Out’, deploys a sparing use of vocals which adds clarity to the blissful chaos of stonking guitar riffs and crashing basslines, as the band move from the atmospheric to the downright angry with ease. An assured and promising debut release. TB

heavyontheride.bandcamp.com

Colours Of One Apparitions EP

4*

www.coloursofone.com Outside In

4*

4*

Simon Parton Demo

The Keys are here overhauled and remixed by Kirkland (a.k.a. Cian Ciaran of Super Furry Animals) to intriguing effect. I Tried To Find It In Books, originally on 2011’s Bitten By Wolves release in the guise of a concise modern psych-rock ditty, is now twice as long and a heckload more sinister. Kirkland’s textured approach to the mix means beats pop up as the track progresses, creating an oddly syncopated backing track with layered synth beeps and glitches sliding in. But it’s Matth Evans searching vocal that dominates the aural landscape, like a desperate call across a strange futuristic wreck of a town. SMR

Parton’s track Sun/Moon has a cool atmospheric feel, with the types of wandering lead guitars that have made tracks like Spanish Sahara brilliant. However, where Foals slowly build to a grand finale, Sun/Moon sustains its mellow beat throughout. It even contains hints, key word - hints, of late 90’s trance acts such as Chicane. Simon Parton has kept the minimalist electronic feel from previous tracks such as Torn, but has made a large step forward with a more catchy beat similar to other up and coming artists such as Kindness. Without a doubt, Simon Parton is one to watch! PK

thekeys.squarespace.com

soundcloud.com/simonpartonuk

Jesus Walks

3*

The most recent track to be released from Lostprophets’ fifth album, Weapons, finds them charting the ‘big chorus’ template that they mastered so effectively with ‘Last Train Home’. All the elements are in place - pounding drumbeats, clean rock riffs, and Ian Watkins’ impassioned vocals. Somehow, though, it comes up a little short in respect to both the band’s own back catalogue and the releases of their peers. While the use of space in the arrangement will provide enough momentum to keep heads banging on their upcoming November UK tour, you can’t help but feel we’ve been here before somehow. SMR

lostprophets.com

Metabeats ft. Action Bronson Hookers

After the resounding, international success of Gruff Rhys’ solo efforts, Cian Ciaran has followed suit with this similarly laid back and excellently achieved album. The Furries’ hiatus seems to have had a sobering effect on him, demonstrated by the record’s sombre and introspective mood. The opening lyrics, ‘Whatever happened to all the people who give a fuck’, are not only poignant but also a throwback to SFA’s The Man Don’t Give A Fuck. Not dissimilar in tone to his danceorientated work as Acid Casuals, Outside In is heavily keyboard orchestrated yet operates across a number of smoothly arranged layers. Indeed, at times, it often resembles the impeccably heady heights of Pink Floyd, crossed with the keen songwriting of John Grant. Da Iawn. DG

soundcloud.com/strangetownrecords

I Tried To Find It In Books

Lostprophets

Colours Of One have a shed load of energy and enthusiasm; in a live setting, especially, the Welsh mob really shine. Luckily for us, then, that here on this new EP they seem to have nailed that sound in the recording process and you really get a feel for that experience. Apparitions is five uplifting rock tunes, not particularly groundbreaking, but certainly jammed with rock-out-with totalabandon moments, a ton of great melodies, huge riffs and rousing choruses. Especially opener Dust & Chalk, a really excellent tune (arguably their best to date) and as always, the vocals are superb. These are tunes to dance about to and sing your heart out to, can’t wait to hear them live and pumped up to full volume. EG

Cian Ciaran

The Keys vs. Kirkland

5*

Desire To Fly Demo

Otherwise known as Dominic Lewis, Desire To Fly joins the accomplished ranks of mellow singer-songwriters from Cardiff. Although slightly gruffer and less nuanced than the likes of Ivan Moult or Joshua Caole, he ekes out a sublimely lethargic, husky compliment. Tomorrowland is a yearning for atonement set against the backdrop of a sleepy, cyclical riff which only occasionally perks into sprightlier plucking. Hinting at greener pastures, it includes all the necessary aspects of acoustic song writing: malaise, hope and redemption. Lacking, however, any flex in tempo or structure, it can become a tad morose. Nevertheless, an excellent demo. DG

soundcloud.com/desire-to-fly

Set Aside Demo

Featuring the MC presence of Queens native and recent Warner Bros. signing, Action Bronson, Metabeats seems to be going all out in the quest for world domination. And with tracks as resolute and defined as ‘Hookers’, you wouldn’t bet against him. The Associated Minds crew member has here concocted something that makes your head nod more effortlessly than the Churchill dog. Action Bronson’s delivery is typically assured, spitting out rhymes regarding life in his neck of the woods, but it’s the production that stands out here. Smooth and elegant, yet hard and filthy - this is hip-hop the way God intended it to be. SMR

Pop-punkers Set Aside purport to have been born through an innate desire to tackle the distinct lack of new music coming through the local scene; from here, however, the scene seems perfectly healthy with the likes of Straight Lines, The Calling Card and The Blackout flying the flag for Welsh punk rock. That aside, these tracks really aren’t bad at all. Very well produced, catchy and thick with the obligatory anthemic ‘gang vocals’, crunching riffs and breakneck percussion, it’s all very enjoyable stuff. They’re not breaking any new ground here but what they do, they do very well. JS

metabeatsmusic.bandcamp.com

soundcloud.com/setasideuk

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MMP Online

themmp.tv/features Johnny Foreigner Pop By For Chat Birmingham’s indie-poppunkers join us for a quick e-mail chat, ahead of visiting Cardiff for a special intimate gig in early October. Read how much they like to deliver ‘awesome’ to the world. www.themmp.tv

SWN Festival Coverage Our website will overflow come the 18th October with reports from Cardiff’s SWN Festival being regularly updated over the course of the 4 day festival. Photos, live reviews and broad opinions about the highs and the lows contained herein: www. themmp.tv

Race Horses Furniture

Talk

Cate Le Bon Discusses CYRK II and More

The Welsh psych-pop favourites have been asked a few pertinent questions on their new release Furniture, reviewed within these pages. To hear more of the motivations, meanings and meanderings behind the LP, come look us up on www.themmp.tv

Le Bon talks about her EP follow up to the Welsh Music Prize nominated CYRK, her travels to America, touring with Brian Jonestown Massacre and plenty more. Read the full interview online at www.themmp.tv

FREE Downloads Our monthly giveaway of free electronic data continues into October. This month’s featured and reviewed acts are offering up their lovely songs for you to pilfer and pillage as though you were Vikings doing a spot of invasion. We heartily recommend you take them up on it and get tracks from the likes of Race Horses, Huw M, Fjords, The Knox, Sion Russell Jones and Colours Of One. MP3s have never been more MPFREE! 1. The Knox 2. Sion Russell Jones 3. Race Horses 4. Fjords 5. Albatross Archive

6. Simon Parton 7. Huw M 8. Quiet Marauder 9. Colours Of One 10. Heavy On The Ride


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JODIE MARIE Muni Arts Centre, Pontypridd

@ Sŵn Festival 2012

THE CRIBS

w/FRANKIE & THE HEARTSTRINGS / MAZES

LAETITIA SADIER (STEREOLAB) w/PEN PASTWN

SŴN IS ALSO PRESENTING MUSIC AT:

£10 adv / 7.30pm / 18+ show

Dragon Theatre, Barmouth

£18 adv / 7:00pm / 18+ show Kilimanjaro Live & SŴN presents

Gwyn Hall, Neath Theatr Hafren, Powys Aberystwyth Arts Centre, Aberystwyth

@ Sŵn Festival 2012

THE BLACKOUT

w/SAVE YOUR BREATH / ANIMAL

£12 adv / 7:30pm / 14+ show

w/GRETA ISAAC SAM BARNES (Denuo)

£7 adv / 7.30pm / 18+ show

@ Sŵn Festival 2012

DJANGO DJANGO

£5 adv / 10:30pm / 18+ show

BAND OF SKULLS

BEN HOWARD

@ Sŵn Festival 2012

SOLD OUT / 7:30pm / 14+

£10 adv / 7:00pm / 14+ show

(THE JAYHAWKS) w/LIAM GERNER

Glee Club, Cardiff Bay

£10 adv / 7:30pm / 18+ show / LATE SHOW / Django Django will be on stage at 23:00

w/FEED THE RHINO BROTHERHOOD OF THE LAKE

GARY LOURIS

£14 adv / 7:30pm / 18+ show

£24 adv / 7:30pm / 18+ show

‘A Festival of Festivals’ Winter Gardens, Blackpool Saturday 8th – Sunday 9th December 2012 www.oneofthesedaysfestival.com

OUR 4-DAY

LEE ‘SCRATCH’ PERRY

w/ITAL AUDIO / DON LEISURE (DARKHOUSE FAM) (DJ set)

ONE OF THESE DAYS

7:30pm / £18adv

SILENT DISCO

w/EGYPTIAN HIP HOP GULP / WILD SWIM

GALLOWS

w/JIM LOCKEY AND THE SOLEMAN / TIM BARRY

Brangwyn Hall, Swansea @ Sŵn Festival 2012

RACHEL SERMANNI

FRANK TURNER & THE SLEEPING SOULS

kilimanjaro Live & SŴN presents

w/FOLKS

£15 adv / 7.30pm / All Ages. Under 14’s must be accompanied by an adult

w/WILLY MASON

Kilimanjaro presents

EXAMPLE w/BENGA (Live)

£25 adv + STBF / 7.00pm / Under 14’s accompanied by an adult.

ANNUAL SŴN FESTIVAL TAKES PLACE IN VENUES ACROSS CARDIFF OCT 18TH – 21ST SWNFEST.COM



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The MMP October 2012


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